The Sabres are bad again. The Islanders are buffaloed. The Rangers are on an island. You get the picture – it’s a big, jumbled mess in the state of New York right now.
It's been a difficult time for hockey fans in New York state.
All three NHL teams in the state – the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and New York Rangers – have been on major skids. The closest thing to hope for New York has been the Devils, who play in nearby New Jersey.
The three New York state teams are, on the surface, quite unique from each other, as they’re all at different points in the contending cycle. However, these teams also share a major similarity: the fact that they’re among the NHL’s most disappointing squads.
The Sabres have been on the outside looking in for over a decade now. Buffalo’s last playoff appearance was in 2011, when sniper Thomas Vanek and goalie Ryan Miller led the team.
The playoff drought is now in its 13th year, tied for the longest in North American major pro sports. Making matters worse, this is also the all-time record in NHL history, surpassing the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers’ decades of darkness.
Behind the bench of the last iteration of successful Buffalo hockey was Lindy Ruff. Ruff left the team in 2013 as the NHL’s longest-tenured coach. After stints in Dallas and New Jersey, Ruff returned to Buffalo this off-season, ready to finally turn the ship around.
That hasn’t happened so far.
After going 10 games without a win, Ruff said that fixing this team might be the hardest challenge of his career. That winless streak has now reached 11.
Streaks have been a huge factor in this era of Sabres hockey. For every 10-game win streak, such as in November 2018, they’ve had a slump, such as their 18-game losing streak in 2021.
The Sabres’ current core has some definite bright spots. On the blueline, they have two No. 1 overall picks. Their captain, Rasmus Dahlin, was taken with the first selection in the 2018 draft. He was billed as the “McDavid of defense,” as he was one of the most complete 18-year-old defense prospects that scouts had seen. In 2021, the Sabres took Owen Power, who caught the hockey world's attention due to his size and fluidity, with some comparing him to Tampa Bay Lightning linchpin Victor Hedman.
Dahlin and Power have made great impacts, but they haven’t done enough to get the Sabres over the hump. Dahlin, in particular, has had some really solid seasons, but he has lagged behind some of his peers, such as Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar.
The Sabres’ main offensive piece is center Tage Thompson. Thompson came over in the 2018 Ryan O’Reilly trade with St. Louis and has been a key contributor ever since. While he’s posted some impressive numbers, there are questions about consistency, as he hasn’t been able to duplicate his 47-goal, 94-point output in 2022-23.
There are a lot of trade rumors surrounding some core pieces of the team. Center Dylan Cozens has struggled this year, but his youth and skill set make him a valuable chip. Defenseman Bowen Byram has fit decently well with the team since being acquired from Colorado last March, but with questions about his long-term fit, the Sabres could consider moving on from him soon.
The Sabres are in free fall, and it’s extra frustrating because the team had been playing better. Before the massive skid, the Sabres had won seven of the previous 10 games.
It will also be interesting to see what comes of GM Kevyn Adams. His recent comments about the Buffalo market raised eyebrows, and the lack of playoff berths during his tenure may cause some questioning about whether he’s on the hot seat.
It’s hard to immediately say what changes can and will be made. Ruff likely won’t go, as he has only been back for a few months. With all eyes on Adams right now, it will be interesting to see if the GM will do anything major with his roster to get the team out of this hole.
The New York Islanders are a special-teams mess. They aren’t an awful squad at 5-on-5, and they have some players performing well right now. But when someone enters the box, the cracks in the team are exposed.
The Islanders sit last in the NHL in power-play efficiency at 12.1 percent. Now this could partially be attributed to injuries to players such as Anthony Duclair, but it’s still a rough position to be in. Their penalty kill is no better, as it also ranks last in the league at 64.3 percent.
It is interesting that the Islanders’ special teams are so bad, considering they’re winning faceoffs at the highest rate of any team in the league. This suggests the Islanders cannot execute when they have possession, which leads to dismal special teams.
Behind the Islanders’ bench is Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy. He’s known for being a tough coach, and that remains true in his Isles’ stint. He hasn’t minced words, especially when talking about forward Pierre Engvall, who recently cleared waivers for a second time this season and was sent to AHL Bridgeport. Also put on waivers was former highly touted prospect Oliver Wahlstrom, who was picked up by his childhood team in Boston.
The Islanders' future is now really in question as they had one of their worst starts in over a decade. Do they part ways with Roy despite him not even being behind the bench for a year? Or do they cut ties with legendary GM Lou Lamoriello? Decisions may have to be made, but fans can only speculate as to what those changes will look like.
The biggest disappointment in New York has to be the Rangers. The Blueshirts have been an elite team for the past few seasons. They’ve made it to the Eastern Conference final twice in the last three years and won the Presidents’ Trophy last season.
After starting decently well, the Rangers have gone on an uncontrollable skid. They are now out of a playoff spot in the East, and the future does not look bright, as they have a tough schedule on the horizon.
The Rangers aren’t just the most disappointing team based on narratives – they’re the most disappointing team statistically. Per Data Driven Hockey, the Rangers have seen the largest drop-off in winning percentage of any team compared to their record at this time last year.
There’s been a lot of off-ice drama with the Rangers’ personnel decisions. In the summer, they placed veteran Barclay Goodrow on waivers to bypass his no-trade clause, sending him and his contract to San Jose. A couple of weeks ago, the team traded former captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks, sending their leader and his contract to a rebuilder.
While both these moves benefited the team’s salary cap, the Rangers’ recent decline questions the value these players had for the team.
The remaining veterans on the team are playing some of the least productive hockey of their careers. Mika Zibanejad only has six goals and is seeing his ice time slowly erode. Chris Kreider only has 11 points in 28 games. After a career year last year, Vincent Trocheck has slowed down mightily as well, going from a 77-point campaign to one where he’s not even pacing for 50.
The Rangers’ drama continued with the recent benching of Kaapo Kakko, who was openly critical of the decision to scratch him. This resulted in a trade to the Seattle Kraken, ending New York’s Kakko project. This trade also signalled that the Rangers are willing to move on from some of their young players, even ones taken with a high lottery pick.
The New York state teams are no doubt in peril. And while at first glance, they’re all in different situations, a closer look reveals an unfortunate similarity: they're letting down their fans.
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