How the Sabres changed their culture to change their results 2023 ESPN NHL reporter By ESPNPlus
Don't let the franchise's headline-generating class of rising young stars convince otherwise.
Buffalo was reforged through strategy, embracing fundamentals and a return to the basic principle of walk before you run -- or more aptly, lose (copiously) before you can win.
Yet, there was no scorched-Earth scenario. Rather, it was a pack of Sabres' veterans -- namely Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons, Jeff Skinner and Craig Anderson -- quietly nurturing the club's foundation with seeds waiting to bloom.
"Our veterans have gotten that room to the point where today, right now, the players know they should go out each night and know they're capable of winning. It's much different than before," head coach Don Granato told ESPN in September. "We've grown from where, two years ago, we drafted Owen Power [No. 1 overall], which means we were not in a good position in the standings. The focus then was on getting our things in order. We had to get our culture in order. We had to learn to work, we had to learn to compete. We had to learn to do it every day. And then we could start talking about winning."
That conversation has reached fever pitch, not just in Buffalo but around the NHL. The Sabres are no Atlantic Division afterthought. Despite a tough start with two losses to begin the season, they're expected to be contenders.
That shift took patience, perseverance and a resounding all-in commitment from Buffalo, to where now reaching its full potential should include slaying a few inner demons. Chief among those is the organization's 12-year playoff drought, longest among any team in the four major pro sports leagues. Put mildly, it has been a rocky stretch.
Since the Sabres' most recent postseason appearance in 2010-11, they've finished last in the Atlantic Division five times, twice ended up 31st overall in the league (in back-to-back seasons no less, in 2013-14 to 2014-15), churned through seven different coaches, and drafted -- before trading away -- two top-tier talents in Sam Reinhart (picked second overall in 2014) and Jack Eichel (second overall in 2015).
It has been a long road bringing these Sabres back to contention. And Buffalo is aware of the stakes -- externally, but internally, too. And if anyone forgets, Okposo will be there with a reminder. It's what the Sabres' captain has done since Buffalo dedicated to a long-haul retooling.