It’s probably a lot of things, but in short: their best players are maturing, therefore so is the team.
They got good draft picks and they actually committed to their strategy long-term. The Edmonton Oilers have had success doing the same thing; keeping the same players together helps build rapport, and a lot of them are extremely young when they get drafted.
Because Buffalo is a small-market team that doesn’t often win (therefore they don’t have much money), they tend to be in the middle or toward the bottom of the standings every season. Since they’re always toward the bottom, they have a higher chance of “winning” the draft lottery… but they didn’t get the #1 draft pick between 1987 and 2017.
When they did finally get a high draft pick, #1 pick Rasmus Dahlen in 2018, they improved immediately. He’s a defenseman, though, so they didn’t improve much and were last place again in 2020-2021. They won another #1 draft pick and chose another defenseman, Owen Power. Which makes sense, given Buffalo’s preference for being a defensive team.
Dahlen and Power were both 18 when they were drafted, so I imagine it takes some time to grow into roles on the team.
Fast forward to 2026: Power and Dahlen are still on the team, and Dahlen is the captain. So they actually built a long-term team around two really good players.
This happened recently with the Edmonton Oilers too, where they were terrible for years, finally got several high draft picks, and actually kept and built the players they drafted. The Oilers drafted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (#1 in 2011), Leon Draisaitl (#3 in 2014), and Connor McDavid (#1 in 2015). They’ve kept all three players and went to the Stanley Cup finals the past two years.
You’re welcome! I think this kind of pattern-matching is especially interesting.
For an older example of a similar pattern, both the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins come to mind. The Penguins were terrible in the late 90s and early 2000s, to the point where they owed their best-ever player Mario Lemieux so much money that he literally just took over the team instead.
The Penguins selected Evgeni Malkin as the #2 pick in 2004; right behind Alex Ovechkin, who was the #1 pick for the Washington Capitals. In 2005, the Penguins selected Sidney Crosby as the #1 pick.
Malkin and Crosby won three Stanley Cups together but it took a few years to jell as a team.
Similarly, it took several years to get a team around Alex Ovechkin that could win a cup.
It’s actually been really interesting to see the previously-mentioned Oilers see success, with their three top-three picks!
I actually forgot that the Penguins drafted their goalie Marc-Andre Fleury as their #1 pick in 2003 too! He was instrumental to their four final appearances (they won three).
So the Penguins picked Fleury as #1 in 2003, Malkin as #2 in 2004, and Crosby as #1 in 2005.
I also forgot that the Blackhawks had success in a similar way! Jonathan Toews was #3 in 2006 and Patrick Kane was #1 in 2007. They won three cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015 after decades of not winning.
What’s making them play so well? I’m new to the game
It’s probably a lot of things, but in short: their best players are maturing, therefore so is the team.
They got good draft picks and they actually committed to their strategy long-term. The Edmonton Oilers have had success doing the same thing; keeping the same players together helps build rapport, and a lot of them are extremely young when they get drafted.
Because Buffalo is a small-market team that doesn’t often win (therefore they don’t have much money), they tend to be in the middle or toward the bottom of the standings every season. Since they’re always toward the bottom, they have a higher chance of “winning” the draft lottery… but they didn’t get the #1 draft pick between 1987 and 2017.
When they did finally get a high draft pick, #1 pick Rasmus Dahlen in 2018, they improved immediately. He’s a defenseman, though, so they didn’t improve much and were last place again in 2020-2021. They won another #1 draft pick and chose another defenseman, Owen Power. Which makes sense, given Buffalo’s preference for being a defensive team.
Dahlen and Power were both 18 when they were drafted, so I imagine it takes some time to grow into roles on the team.
Fast forward to 2026: Power and Dahlen are still on the team, and Dahlen is the captain. So they actually built a long-term team around two really good players.
This happened recently with the Edmonton Oilers too, where they were terrible for years, finally got several high draft picks, and actually kept and built the players they drafted. The Oilers drafted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (#1 in 2011), Leon Draisaitl (#3 in 2014), and Connor McDavid (#1 in 2015). They’ve kept all three players and went to the Stanley Cup finals the past two years.
That’s really interesting thanks
You’re welcome! I think this kind of pattern-matching is especially interesting.
For an older example of a similar pattern, both the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins come to mind. The Penguins were terrible in the late 90s and early 2000s, to the point where they owed their best-ever player Mario Lemieux so much money that he literally just took over the team instead.
The Penguins selected Evgeni Malkin as the #2 pick in 2004; right behind Alex Ovechkin, who was the #1 pick for the Washington Capitals. In 2005, the Penguins selected Sidney Crosby as the #1 pick.
Malkin and Crosby won three Stanley Cups together but it took a few years to jell as a team.
Similarly, it took several years to get a team around Alex Ovechkin that could win a cup.
It’s actually been really interesting to see the previously-mentioned Oilers see success, with their three top-three picks!
Crikey I didn’t know that! So that’s Crosby’s origin story
I actually forgot that the Penguins drafted their goalie Marc-Andre Fleury as their #1 pick in 2003 too! He was instrumental to their four final appearances (they won three).
So the Penguins picked Fleury as #1 in 2003, Malkin as #2 in 2004, and Crosby as #1 in 2005.
I also forgot that the Blackhawks had success in a similar way! Jonathan Toews was #3 in 2006 and Patrick Kane was #1 in 2007. They won three cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015 after decades of not winning.