One of the most quoted and replayed soundbites in sports for the last decade or so is former NFL head coach Herm Edwards’ ‘You play to win the game!” rant that he delivered as his New York Jets team was in the midst of another losing season.
If you haven’t seen the clip, do yourself a favor and look it up. It’s still as relevant — and hilarious — as when he delivered it in 2002.
The Buffalo Sabres, and particularly general manager Jason Botterill, would be wise to listen to Herm’s words in that rant. The Sabres find themselves in an interesting situation as the regular season carries on. Less than two months removed from a 10-game win streak, Buffalo finds itself slowly teetering back towards mediocrity, and even worse, at risk of missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive season.
Two points back of the eighth and final playoff spot heading into tonight’s game against the New York Rangers, you would imagine the Sabres would be active in the upcoming trade deadline, right?
Well, not so fast.
Botterill has thus far been hesitant to pull the trigger on even the smallest of moves this season, and reports from Buffalo media indicate he may indeed not make any trades before the deadline on Feb. 25.
Some of the reasons do make sense, such as the fact the Sabres don’t have much money available to dish out to incoming players, or that the team wants to ensure its younger guys get ice time in the NHL during the stretch run. But again, you play to win the game.
Botterill and Sabres’ coach Phil Housley are blessed with a tremendous core of young players highlighted by Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin, but why not go for it this year? Why not snap the playoff drought and get the young guys some valuable playoff experience? Buffalo isn’t a Stanley Cup contender this season by any stretch, but that point is moot.
One of the criticisms of former Sabres players Evander Kane and Ryan O’Reilly is that the team became accustomed to losing. After finishing with the worst record in the league for three of the last five seasons, you certainly can’t blame some of Kane and O’Reilly’s former teammates — particularly the younger ones — who have simply forgotten what it’s like to win. My idea for Botterill and the Sabres before the deadline: bring in a couple of affordable veteran players who know how to win.
The team can certainly use another secondary scorer to complement the top line of Eichel and Jeff Skinner, as well as a durable stay-at-home defenseman to help the team shore up a very leaky defense.
The Sabres would also be wise to take a page out of the Pittsburgh Penguins playbook, an organization that Botterill worked for from 2007-17. Pittsburgh, despite winning three Stanley Cups since 2008, have never been content to just let a season pass by or to pass up a chance to improve its roster.
Yes, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were drafted and developed in the ‘Burgh, but the team has also either traded for or signed talented players such as Phil Kessel, Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist and Matt Cullen over the years to make their good teams great. Just in recent weeks, Pens GM Jim Rutherford acquired two top-end forwards in Tanner Pearson and Nick Bjugstad to help get the team out of a early-season funk.
The Pens have won just four times in their last 10 games, but unless the Sabres pull the trigger and acquire someone before the trade deadline, Pittsburgh is the clear favorite to claim the last playoff spot.
And wouldn’t it be ironic, and quite deflating to Botterill and Sabres fans, if it is the Penguins who just sneak into the postseason (for the 12th straight year) over Buffalo?
Again, I get that the Sabres want to plan and build for the future, but what’s the point of even taking the ice the rest of the season if you aren’t gunning for the postseason.
Jason, you play to win the game.
(Anthony Sambrotto, a Bradford Era sports reporter, can be reached at erasambrotto@gmail.com)
