The Buffalo Sabres fanbase has begun to show signs of legitimate frustration with the organization’s product both on and off the ice, as the team’s early struggles have continued deeper into the 2019-20 season.
The team currently sits more than 11 points outside of a playoff spot and their hopes of reaching the postseason for the first time in eight years begins to dwindle yet again. Despite an impressive start to the season, the Sabres have fallen back into the struggles they faced last year with a lack of consistency, depth and scoring being the primary factors in this plummet down the standings.
Aside from their performances on the ice, fans have expressed further disdain in the aftermath of a frustrated season ticket holder, known only as Duane, calling into Buffalo radio station WGR several weeks ago and ranting about the state of the team. His main concerns stemmed with the organization supposedly giving Sabres alumni players knock-off jerseys during the 50th anniversary night, where former captains took to the ice before the game in tribute to the organization.
In addition to this, several former players such as Dave Ondreychuk and Luc Robitaille, both legends in the organization, were given jerseys with misspellings of their names on the back. The WGR caller expressed that when expectations for the roster are low, it is expected that the organization would still attempt to provide a good product for the fans, especially past players, off the ice. It is the opinion of many fans of the team that the organization has failed completely on that front.
With playoffs looking unlikely even before the February trade deadline, many fans are already beginning to look forward to next season when the Sabres are expected to finally offload many contracts that have hindered them going back several years, such as defenseman Zach Bogosian and forward Conor Sheary. Many recently acquired contracts will also be finishing up, such as forwards Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Jimmy Vesey, Michael Frolik and center Vladimir Sobotka.
This new cap space should theoretically allow general manager Jason Botterill to not only re-sign many of the team’s stars who are due for contracts, such as forward Sam Reinhart and defenseman Brandon Montour, but also to venture out into both free agency and the trade market to try and finally bolster the team’s offensive depth.
With this year’s trade deadline also coming up quickly, many fans still expect the team to offload one of the many defensemen on the roster, such as Rasmus Ristolainen who reportedly requested a trade before the start of the season. As the months have gone by, however, a big-name trade for the Sabres this season looks less and less likely, particularly as playoff hopes dwindle.
Since the all-star break, Buffalo has lost to the Ottawa Senators, a struggling Montreal Canadiens squad and the dominant Colorado Avalanche. Their only victory since the break came over the Columbus Bluejackets off an overtime goal from forward Jack Eichel. Despite the team’s struggles, the captain has continued to be the life force of the roster and has put together the best season of his career. If Buffalo were a serious contender in the playoff race, there would certainly be talks about Eichel being a Hart Trophy candidate.
Looking ahead, the Sabres will face off against the New York Rangers Friday Feb. 7 as they try to reassemble their season amidst fan frustration and struggles on the ice. Without any major moves near the trade deadline, any hopes of playoffs for the Sabres seem distant.