Context of my team: the Eichel trade is completed, and team rosters are after the Jan. 26 roster update. So that is my starting point for the team.
September 13, 2021: In a surprising turn of events, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has stepped away from his role and moved up to become the Sabres President of Hockey Operations. To replace his now departed role, he has tabbed Markus Ketterer as the teams new GM. “I felt it was time to fully put the plan for the Sabres into place,” said Adams. “We know what type of team we want. A team that the fans of Buffalo can be proud of. A fast, hardworking team loaded with skill. Markus has performed admirably in his scouting for talent, so I felt he deserved a bigger piece of the pie. I am confident that pairing him with our analytics department, the Sabres will be a force soon.”
“I will use the pre-season to evaluate the players on our NHL team,” said Ketterer. “Nobody on our team is off-limits, and I expect every player to give 110% every game, pre-season included. There will be no floating at any times. I know Buffalo hockey, and know what the fans expectations are. It’s shape up or ship out, starting now.”
After a pre-season where the team finished 6-1-1, the team starts the 2021-22 season in high spirits. They open the season with a win against the Montreal Canadiens, and during the game, GM Ketterer wasted no time putting his stamp on the team by making a minor trade with the Kraken.
10-05-21: To SEA LW F. Cederqvist (55 SNP), LD L. Cronholm (56 DFD), VGK 2023 3rd. To BUF: LD R. Evans (61 OFD) SEA 2022 7th
“Ryker is a fantastic puck moving dman. I was high on him during his draft year. He’s a smart, hardworking player who has worked his balls off to get to where he is. The fans are going to love him.” said Ketterer. “As a reward, he will play in our next game so the fans can see firsthand why I am excited to add this player. As to the two prospects we have traded away, this gives the Kraken pieces to work with as the team embarks on their journey. I wish the players luck.”
And proving his words prophetic, the Sabres new acquisition goes 1+1 in 8:03 of ice time in his NHL debut, leading the Sabres to a 3-1 victory, before being demoted to Rochester to round out his game.
A month and a half into the season, the Sabres yo-yo between wins and losses, sitting 5th in the Atlantic division, but 7th in the Eastern conference. Rumblings are out that the Sabres are looking for a shakeup. The Sabres are taking a beating on social media, both for legitimate reasons and silly ones. The silly ones are mostly centred around concession prices being too high, despite their prices being near the bottom of the league for expense. “I hear the fans complaints, and I understand their frustration. I am too. This is not a team to be proud of yet,” said Ketterer. “Our veterans are not performing. I’m trying to work things out, and give the fans reasons to be excited.”
When fans woke up for work or school on the morning of November 20th, not only were Sabres fans amazed, so was the entirety of the NHL. The Sabres had completed an NHL and professional sports record 8 trades overnight, completely transforming the team, literally overnight. 26 players changed hands, plus 4 draft picks.
The 8 trades that GM Ketterer made are as follows:
- To NYI: RW/C J. Hayden (76 GRN), To BUF: D Z. Chara (82 TWD)
- To STL: VGK 2022 1st, RD J. Boychuk (70 DFD), G A. Dell (80 HYB), To BUF: RD C. Parayko (86 TWD), G V. Zherenko (65 HYB)
- To BUF: G F. Sandstrom (73 HYB), To PHI: G C. Anderson (81 HYB)
- To CHI: RD C. Miller (83 TWD) (50% retained), To BUF: LW/C L. Reichel (74 TWF)
- To BUF: RD S. Hatakka (74 DFD), C T. Jacobsson (71 TWF), To SJS: LD R. Hagg (82 DFD) (50% retained), 2022 BUF 4th
- To LAK: LW D. Cagguila (77 TWF), 2023 BUF 4th, To BUF: C S. Helenius (70 TWF)
- To ARZ: G D. Tokarski (78 HYB), C C. Eakin (80 TWF), To BUF: G I. Prosvetov (74 HYB), LW B. McCartney (73 SNP), 2023 ARZ 3rd
- To VAN: LD W. Butcher (81 OFD) (50% retained), C A. Oglevie (74 TWF), 2023 ARZ 3rd, 2023 VGK 2nd, To BUF: RW V. Podkolzin (79 SNP), LD J. Rathbone (77 TWD), LW M. Ferland (70 GRN)
- To COL: G M. Subban (81 HYB), To BUF: LW/RW S. Ranta (75 PLY)
“I feel confident that our team is now something that Sabres fans will support,” said Ketterer during that evening’s press conference. “Our acquisition’s are all excited to be here. They, like the Sabres fans in Buffalo, come from cities that are traditionally blue collar hardworking places. They know what excites fans, and can’t wait to bring that mentality to Buffalo. And with 3 days until our next game, they will have a couple of practices to get to know each other and their tendencies. The new era starts this weekend.”
Before their next game, the Sabres re-acquire Dustin Tokarski off waivers. His second stay in Buffalo doesn’t last as long as his first stint.