The Buffalo Sabres are dead-last in the (Atlantic) division, they have lost five of their past six games, and they’re now tied for last in the Eastern Conference. It’s an unacceptable situation that’s going to be in the front of the mind of Sabres ownership. This franchise has missed the playoffs 14 straight seasons, and could be outside of the playoff picture looking in again this year.

Indeed, if Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula look at this Buffalo team from the perspective of a Sabres fan, they’d immediately sound the alarm for the organization and start throwing people overboard. And that could mean the end of the road in Buffalo for GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff.  And that could happen sooner than later.

There has to be accountability for a team that clearly has some major holes in it. And that falls at the feet of Adams, who has had many years to try and stick the landing. It hasn’t happened, and you can’t get around it. The same goes for Ruff, who hasn’t come in and steered this Sabres team into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Adams and Ruff’s future is tied together, and if one goes, the other will be soon to follow.

But the changes to come for the Sabres won’t be limited to Buffalo’s coaching and management picture. The roster will be undergoing extensive renovations, and that will mean the Sabres make major trades. And although five Buffalo players have some form of- no-trade or no-move clause, the reality is no one will be safe if the Sabres decide to blow it up. 

We’re not suggesting star forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will definitely be moved, but Adams – or whomever it is replacing Adams – has to listen to all offers. When you consistently underachieve, there should be no sacred cows. And who knows – Dahin and Thompson may grow weary enough of the constant losing and accept a trade out of town.

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There has to be a sense of currency we haven’t seen from the Sabres up until now. Buffalo is in a bare-knuckle fight to be in the conversation as a playoff team, and they could be fighting for a playoff spot all season long. But their slow start to the season has put every other team in the East ahead of them.  That qualifies as a disaster.

That’s likely to be a playoff dream-killer for Buffalo, so there has to be a playoff push for the Sabres right now. You can’t wait for the trade deadline and start adding assets if you think you’re close to doing great things. Your core needs to be running things, and up until now, the Sabres haven’t been able to do that.

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The Sabres are clearly on the hot seat in a way few other teams are. The prospect of being on the team that extended Buffalo’s playoff drought to 15 years is not a pleasant one, and all Sabres fans care about is that streak coming to an end.

And if Buffalo can’t make a push up the standings – and soon – the Sabres will look rather different than they do right now.

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