The Buffalo Sabres finished at the bottom of the National Hockey League standings, and, as a result, were rewarded with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft after Tuesday’s lottery.
It’s not the first overall selection, which now belongs to the Florida Panthers, but getting to select from the top crop of prospects is something to look forward for the Sabres and rookie general manager Tim Murray. The 2013-14 season was a difficult one to digest for fans of the Sabres and those involved with the team, which finished with a 21-51-10 record.
It was also a record-breaking season, as the Sabres scored 150 non-shootout goals, a new record low in the post-expansion era, as reported by PHT’s Joe Yerdon.
“A lot of nights it was hard to watch,” said Murray, as per The Associated Press. “A lot of nights we competed hard and just didn’t have enough talent to put us over the top. But other nights, it wasn’t pretty.”
Murray also said earlier in the day that Ville Leino is a “very good possibility” to receive a compliance buyout this off-season.