Surging Sabres

When the 2017-2018 season began, many fans in Buffalo didn’t make much of what was to come. After dealing Jakub Voracek, Jordan Eberle, and Jake Gardiner prior to starting the season, the message from the top was clear: Rebuild. The fans knew this was coming, as it was Roberto Martucci’s plan since he was appointed the GM. However, nobody would expect what would happen just 14 games into the season. The Buffalo Sabres currently have a 7-3-4 record, sitting 8^th in the league with 18 points thus far. “It’s great to see the players going out there and playing their hearts out. Going through a lot of changes can sometimes be deflating for a team and the players kind of just go with the flow. Seeing this team string together wins is great” Martucci said.

While Buffalo’s hot start gives plenty of hope for the Sabres faithful, many are still unconvinced that the team’s hot start to the season will continue. One fan said “This team is still going to miss the playoffs”, while other fans were heard yelling obscenities which cannot be mentioned. While sentiments surrounding the team were mixed, the media had a lot of questions for Martucci. Here are just a few of the questions asked during his most recent press conference:

Q: Does this change the plan for Buffalo going forward?

A: Absolutely not. I understand going through a process like this can be long and sometimes very frustrating, but I believe this is the best path to take in order to make Buffalo a very strong team in the future.

Q: Many people are claiming you should retool and not rebuild. What do you say to them?

A: Well, while a retool would have been better to some, I didn’t want to take the approach of simply trying to patch up some holes here or there. It wasn’t an easy decision, however I am confident I made the right one and I can’t wait to have the Sabres be a very strong contender in the future.

Q: Are you done making moves this season?

A: No. I won’t beat around the bush. I am not done making moves, and likely will not be until the deadline. I will do everything I can to accelerate this process and bring success to Buffalo.

Support is on the way for a lonely Matthews

The message is clear: Roberto stands behind the plan, and it appears as though he has management and ownership behind him. While the team looks good through 14 games, it is a very small sample size and it hasn't changed the fact that the future is what's most important. With the likes of Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Miro Heiskanen in the system, Buffalo is going to look to build around their future core. Clearly more moves are coming – maybe not quite as many as the Blackhawks this offseason – but they’re coming.