Sabres Have Chance at Top Pick with Finale Loss

The Buffalo Sabres season did not go as planned.  An injury to star phenom forward Jack Eichel the day before the first game was a harbinger of things to come.  It didn't help when another star forward, Evander Kane, injured his ribs in the first game and missed 2 months.

We can chalk all of this up to classic Buffalo sports, and know that this just seems to be our lot in life.  Our expectations were high coming into the season, and the thought of this team taking the next step was exciting.  It didn't happen.  Now we have to wait another long off-season before we know if we are getting any better again.

Well here are 2 pieces of good news for you!  First off, at least when the Sabres come up short, the off-season occurs during the summer so it's not that bad.  It's not like the Bills who make us suffer through the heart of winter.  Second, and more importantly, we could end up with a top draft pick!

If the Sabres lose today's season finale in Tampa, and Detroit can beat New Jersey, Buffalo will finish 5th worst in hockey.  Based on the NHL lottery system, the Sabres would have a much better chance at getting a top 3 pick.  Our chances improve about 6% more than where they stand now.  I'll take it.

We got robbed the 2 years we finished worst in the league and both times got the #2 overall pick, while Toronto last year ended up with the top pick on their first try.  Hopefully we get a little lucky this year and sneak in and pick up another phenom.  It would be nice to get some good news this season for a change.