There are no Bills or Sabres games to be played until August. Both seasons are over, which means it’s optimism season.
The Sabres have now run the tally to 12 consecutive years without a playoff berth, so it would seem appropriate that fans are optimistic about next season for the first time in a decade. But that wouldn’t be true.
Buffalo sports fans have an uncanny way to be upbeat this time of the year, no matter what happened during the season. Whether it’s finishing the season strong, a coaching move or a big acquisition, Buffalo fans always find a way to say “next year.”
The offseason and the start of the regular season always brings excitement. There is reason to believe. And then a slump or an injury unleash the rage that’s always simmering below the surface in Buffalo. That’s pessimism season. Just when it seems like fans are fed up, the roller coaster dips again and they’re hooked back in.
Following an overtime win against Columbus on Friday, the Sabres won their regular-season finale for the fourth time in five years. For the second consecutive season, Buffalo is excited for the future, but this time they don’t have to squint for a glimmer of upside.
It was obvious the Sabres were young and talented last season, but this year they finished one point out of a wild card berth. On top of that, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin proved they are rising stars in the NHL and the previous year was no fluke. Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner had career years, while Owen Power and Dylan Cozens lead a loaded pipeline. And it appears Devon Levi could be the goaltender of the future.
Buffalo isn’t heading into the offseason thinking drafting a star talent like Jack Eichel or Dahlin or Power can change its fortunes. Nor is it wondering if next year will finally be the breakout campaign. No, this time the Sabres begin the offseason needing a few supporting pieces to finally end the drought.
Instead of finding the morsel of hope, Sabres fans can dedicate the offseason to learning to brace for the regular season. Expectations are high and if they go unfulfilled, it will likely be devastating to many. But an 82-game season is also going to be jagged, no matter how good they are. That’s when you remember the preseason optimism. Bills fans can relate.
For 17 years, Bills fans yearned for a star quarterback. If they had a quarterback, they would be a playoff team, fans said. Instead, the Bills trotted out 15 mediocre to bad quarterbacks, all of them leaving everyone uninspired.
When Buffalo finally drafted Josh Allen, it took two seasons to get to the playoffs and it was on the doorstep of the Super Bowl by the third year. The Bills have become Super Bowl favorites the last two seasons, with Allen being treated as the city’s most treasured possession.
Back-to-back losses in the AFC Divisional round — especially after this year’s spanking by the Bengals — have caused some to sour on Buffalo’s potential next year. It’s almost forgotten by some that Allen is a top-three quarterback in the NFL and he was the missing piece for 17 years. It’s also forgotten that the current roster is better than any the Bills fielded during the drought.
The Super Bowl window for the Bills is still very much ajar and likely always will be if Allen is healthy. Allen is Buffalo’s current version of Dominik Hasek. He always gives them a chance to win.
“(The Bengals) had some lean years and without getting too much into their build, I don’t want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja’Marr Chase,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said during his end-of-season press conference. “I would love to have him, but you got to go through some lean years to do that.”
That’s important for the Sabres. It might not be feasible for Thompson, Skinner and Tuch to account for 118 goals and 255 points next season. But they might get close and younger players like Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Peyton Krebs or Jiri Kulich might fill in the rest.
Injuries derailed Thompson’s push to Buffalo’s first 50-goal scorer since Alexander Mogilny (76) and Pat LaFontaine (53) in 1992-93, but 50 goals doesn’t always lead to wins. A Stanley Cup champion hasn’t featured a 50-goal scorer in 21 years and it’s happened five times in the last 30 years. Joe Sakic did it twice and was the last, while Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens did it on the same Penguins team in 1993.
“If I could get around the same as I got last year, it would be successful and (I’d) be pretty happy with that,” Thompson said before Thursday’s home finale.
It may change this season, as five players have a shot this year, but it doesn’t change past trends. The 2006-07 Sabres led the league in scoring with one 40-goal scorer (Thomas Vanek), while finishing fifth with none the year before. Those teams had balance and it appears the current version of the franchise could be the same.
Five players had at least 20 goals this season — four had 30 — and it seems likely that Casey Mittelstadt, Quinn, Peterka and Dahlin are all capable.
All reasons for optimism.