The 2014-2015 NHL season has been nothing short of embarrassing for the Buffalo Sabres so far. Coming into their game on Thursday, Nov. 13, the team sat at a lowly 3-12-2 record, good enough for last place in the league. The team has been outplayed by the rest of the league in all facets of the game, leading Sabres head coach Ted Nolan to compare his own squad to a pee-wee team.
For Sabres fans, this team may seem like a lost cause, but despite their current inferiority, the future is bright in Buffalo
The 2015 NHL Draft class is considered to be one of the most prolific in years, with at least two players who experts believe have the ability to turn a franchise around. The first is Canadian wunderkind Connor McDavid, who at 17 years old has been dominating the Ontario Hockey League, one of the top junior leagues in the world. Second is Jack Eichel, an 18-year-old currently playing at Boston University, who longtime USA Today hockey columnist Kevin Allen called the top American prospect since Mike Modano, the highest scoring American-born player of all time.
Assuming the Sabres’ struggles continue for the rest of the year, which is a very fair assumption, they will be in a good position to have the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, enabling them to pick either McDavid or Eichel. The NHL draft rules, however, are such that the team with the worst record is not guaranteed the first overall pick – instead, a lottery system is used that gives several of the league’s bottom-feeders a chance at the top pick. Fortunately for the Sabres, with multiple top prospects available, getting to select first in the draft is not quite as high a priority
Obviously, it’s impossible to say for sure if McDavid and Eichel will develop into the superstars many believe they can become. Though if either of them do pan out, it will not be unprecedented. Take Sidney Crosby, for example, who is unquestionably one of the top players in the world. He too was a highly touted top draft pick. Within a few years of being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, he led the team to a Stanley Cup, completely turning the struggling franchise around
The case of Crosby should provide some hope for Sabres fans. While this year’s team offers little to get excited about, the future may hold better days for hockey in Western New York.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
