Top 50 Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres came into the NHL as part of the league’s expansion from 12 to 14 in 1970, and they quickly proved their worth.
On the strength of the "French Connection" line (Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert), the Sabres made it to the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, though lost to Philadelphia. Buffalo remained a good, though not necessarily great squad for years, and upon the emergence of Czech Goalie Dominic Hasek, made it to the Finals again in 1999, though a controversial call cost them the Cup against Dallas.
The Sabres have not been to the Finals since.
This list is up to the end of the 2023/24 season.
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
We can understand if you think we should have gone with Gilbert Perreault for this spot, but after you read this, maybe you will see why we went with Dominik Hasek.
The man who was almost number one on this list was the first ever player drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, who took him number one overall in 1970.
In 1970, the Buffalo Sabres took Gilbert Perreault with the First Overall Pick. The year after, Buffalo had the number five pick, and they would take another native of Quebec, and soon-to-be linemate (and junior teammate), Rick Martin.
One of the better American Goalies in recent memory, Ryan Miller was a three-time CCHA Goalie of the Year at Michigan State, and the undrafted Spartan signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who he debuted for in 2002.
A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team that shocked the sporting world and won the Gold Medal, Mike Ramsey had already played at a top NCAA program with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
One of the best American born Defenseman in the game’s history, Phil Housley’s 21-year career began with an eight-year run as a Buffalo Sabre.
A First Round Pick in 1982, Dave Andreychuk made a mark in the National Hockey League as the master of the Power Play. In fact, he holds the all-time record with 274 Goals with an advantage.
Pat LaFontaine only played 268 Games for the Buffalo Sabres, but it was a brief run that would land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In the late 1980s, the probability of Soviet hockey players became more and more likely. The Buffalo Sabres got in on that, taking up and coming Alexander Mogilny 89th Overall in 1988. A year later, after participating in the World Hockey Championship in Stockholm, he defected to the United States and joined the…
Danny Gare exceeded expectations early, as the Second Round Pick made the Sabres roster immediately, scoring 62 Points and finishing third for the Calder in 1974-75.
Rene Robert debuted with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970-71, and it caught the attention of the Buffalo Sabres, who plucked him in the Intra-League Draft of 1971. His stay with Buffalo was not even a day, as the Pittsburgh Penguins then took him via the same draft. The Sabres never forgot…
Craig Ramsay knew his role in professional hockey; defensive forward. Luckily for the Sabres, he did it well.
One of the first real hockey stars from Austria, Thomas Vanek, made history as the first Austrian to be taken in the top five when the Buffalo Sabres chose him with the 5th Overall Pick in the 2003 Draft.
The owner of one of the best names in sports, Miroslav Satan, played 14 years in the NHL, eight of which with the Buffalo Sabres, where he had the best part of his career.
Drafted in the middle of the 1975 Draft, Goalie Don Edwards first made the Sabres roster in the 1976-77 Season, where he played in 25 Games. The next season, Edwards was the top guy in between the pipes for Buffalo and was emerging in the upper-tier of Goalies. That year, Edwards led…
Taken in the Third Round of the 1971 Draft, Defenseman Bill Hajt would play his entire career with the team that took him, the Buffalo Sabres.
There have been many phenomenal American Goalies in Hockey, but it can be argued that none of them got off to a better start than Tom Barrasso.
Jim Schoenfeld was a physical defenseman who was unafraid to take on the role of enforcer when needed.
Beginning his career with the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks, Defenseman Jerry Korab was traded to the Buffalo Sabres during the 1973-74 Season.
Since the Soviet Union has not existed for decades, the record for most games played by a Soviet-born Defenseman (1,085) will never be broken. Alexei Zhitnik is that record holder, and 712 of those games were as a Buffalo Sabre.