The Buffalo Sabres find themselves in the midst of a 14-season playoff drought and while there has been some tough seasons during this stretch, the toughest was one of the first in this drought. The 2013-14 season was not only one of the worst in Sabres' history but one of the worst in NHL history.
This season was a transformative one as it was the first full season after the Buffalo Sabres fired Lindy Ruff. The team decided to stick with Ron Rolston, who was the interim head coach the prior season and replaced Ruff.
However, his time with the Sabres was short-lived as he would be fired only 20 games into the season after the team started the year 4-15-1. They would look to a former coach to help turn the season around in Ted Nolan, but it didn't get much better as he went 17-36-9 in the role.
That season, they had a points percentage of only .317, which is the lowest in franchise history, and tied for the fourth-lowest in the NHL since 2000.
Buffalo Sabres finished with the lowest goals scored in the NHL
The Sabres that season allowed the fifth-most goals with 248, but where they really struggled was on the offensive end. They would score only 157 goals, and Tyler Ennis would lead the team in goals with 21.
In fact, Ennis was only one of four players on the team that season who had double digit goals as Cody Hodgson (20), Drew Stafford (16), and Matt Moulson (11) were the other players.
That season, it wasn't only a notable change at head coach for the franchise, but a time they said goodbye to some key players. The Sabres would trade Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller before the trade deadline, as it seemed clear they knew the team wasn't going to be competitive.
While there hasn't been a specific season as bad as that 2013-14 season for the Buffalo Sabres, it has certainly been a sign of things to come for a franchise that is trying to get back to the playoffs.