Buffalo Sabres: Tim Connolly, Thomas Vanek and the Hit – Hockey Writers – Sabres History

While it’s fun to wonder “what if” about your favorite sports teams, it’s very important to remember that hindsight is always 20/20. It’s very easy to look back on a past scenario with genius-level intelligence because we now know things that weren’t obvious at the time. That being said, it doesn’t make reflecting on the past any less fascinating, especially for a team like the Buffalo Sabres who have a well-documented history of “almost, not quite.”

In the last two that I’ve done, we’ve talked about a lot of obvious situations, like the “No Goal” in 1999 or the Draft Lottery in 2015. But what if we wanted to get more specific, like Really Specific? Let’s dive deep into our being and examine some hypotheses of the history of the Sabres that may not immediately come to mind.

What if: Campbell hadn’t smoked Umberger?

The 2005-06 Sabres season was a historic one for many reasons. It was a magical fairy tale that produced many memorable moments, some legendary. However, it might not have been the case without one particular play. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sabres faced a familiar opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they had met in four of their previous five appearances. The Flyers were much bigger and more imposing, and many expected them to make a quick exit.

But even though the Sabres couldn’t match physically, they used their speed and finesse to outplay their imposing opponent early on, taking a 2-0 lead in Game 1 before the Flyers tied it late to force overtime. Midway through overtime, Buffalo got a monumental boost from an unexpected source. After the Sabres nearly ended the game with a shot that went just wide, the Flyers tried to break out of their own zone. Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell pinched the left point and checked Philadelphia winger RJ Umberger with a massive, clean check.

At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Campbell was not known for his size and was one of the last players you would expect to land such a colossal hit, especially since he was considerably smaller than the 6-foot-2, 214-pound Umberger, who had to be helped off the ice. The hit sent an electric shock through Buffalo’s old HSBC Arena and the crowd went wild as the Flyers chased the diminutive defenseman after the hit. The Sabres won the game in double overtime on a goal by Daniel Briere.

While it may have seemed like a big hit at first glance, it was much more than that for the Sabres in hindsight. It was in that moment that they learned that they could hold their own against the “Big Bad” Flyers and that they didn’t have to be intimidated. Buffalo won the series in six games and rode that momentum into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. If Campbell hadn’t shaken Umberger with that hit, the Sabres might not have gained as much confidence and one of their greatest playoff runs of all time would have ended before it even began.

What if: Tim Connolly had stayed healthy?

This story may seem a little out of left field, but when you really think about it, it’s intriguing. His name may not be mentioned often anymore, but there’s no denying that Tim Connolly was one of the most important players on the Sabres of the 2000s. Hyper-talented but tragically fragile, he would have been a superstar in today’s game, but the NHL at the time simply wasn’t ready for a player like him. There are a number of hypotheses surrounding his career, but perhaps the biggest is this: How different would his years in Buffalo have been if he had been able to avoid injuries?

Connolly’s eight seasons in Buffalo were interrupted by injuries of varying degrees, which severely limited him. Despite that, he was very productive and recorded 320 points in 464 games, but fans never saw the impact he was truly capable of making. The center had the skills to do just about anything he wanted and when healthy, he was lethal. A fast skater with fantastic puck handling, a blistering shot and an almost paranormal ability to create plays, he was one of the Sabres’ greatest assets and an integral part of the team’s post-lockout revival, and he could have been even greater after those glory days were over.

Connolly was the type of player teams are built around. And in a world where he was able to stay consistently healthy, he could have easily become the new centerpiece of the team after the shocking departures of co-captains and top-tier centers Chris Drury and Daniel Briere in the summer of 2007. Along with a re-signed Thomas Vanek (more on that later), the Sabres could have surrounded their new No. 1 center with their many other young stars of the era and formed a new superteam. While the team would have had far less depth than the previous two seasons, it is possible that they could have continued their winning ways and remained a force to be reckoned with.

There have been a few Sabres over the years whose careers have been sabotaged by injuries and Connolly is perhaps the most notable example. Had he been able to avoid them, he would have gone down in history as one of the best players in team history and even been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Instead, he retired at the age of 32 and fans will forever wonder what could have been (from “What happened to Sabres star Tim Connolly? After 7 years, he’s ready to explain,” The Athletic12/03/20).

What if: USA won gold in 2010?

While the Olympics and the NHL exist in parallel, they have occasionally crossed paths, and the 2010 Vancouver Games are perhaps the best example. It was arguably one of the greatest hockey tournaments in the history of the event, and it ended in a thriller that will go down in history. In one of the greatest games ever played, Canada and the United States faced off with national pride and the gold medal on the line. Canada’s presence was no surprise, but their neighbour’s certainly was, and the Sabres were a big reason why.

Ryan Miller peaked in 2010 and was the NHL’s top goaltender heading into the Vancouver Games. He was named the starting goalie for Team USA and led the underdog team to the final for a rematch with the Canadiens, who had defeated them in 2002. It was a close game that saw the U.S. come back from a 2-0 deficit and tie the game with 24 seconds left, but it was all for naught. Sabres’ famed killer Sidney Crosby surprised Miller in overtime and ended the Americans’ thrilling run in spectacular, heartbreaking fashion.

The golden goal made Crosby the face of his generation, but it couldn’t distract Miller, and his gutsy performance earned him both the MVP award and the respect of the hockey world, as evidenced in the Sabres’ first game back in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins, the crowd gave Miller a thunderous ovation, while booing Crosby. The Michigan native had established himself as one of the game’s best goaltenders and continued to receive admiration after the loss, but how much more would he have gotten had the United States triumphed?

Had the Americans won, it would have been their first gold medal in 30 years at that point, against a rival that had dominated them for years. It would have been the national sporting event, and Miller would have been brought back to the United States in top form. The Sabres would have received a plethora of attention by extension, and their profile in the sports world would have been significantly raised, perhaps leading to an All-Star Game or another Winter Classic, or even high-profile players signing with the team. It was pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things for the Sabres, but still interesting to ponder.

What if: Buffalo hadn’t matched Thomas Vanek?

Now let’s go back to the unforgettable summer of 2007 for the Sabres. The unimaginable departures of Briere and Drury on July 1 of that year may have been the biggest blow the Sabres have ever inflicted on their fans, but the agony of the situation was multi-layered. Vanek, whose second season saw his production jump from 48 to 84 points, became a restricted free agent (RFA) and received a staggering seven-year, $50 million offer from the Edmonton Oilers shortly thereafter.

In a fantastic irony, after saving money with their co-captains, the Sabres were forced to pay the 23-year-old or they would have lost their top three scorers of the season in one week. At the time, general manager Darcy Regier had no choice or Buffalo might have revolted. It’s too bad, because if he could have gone the other way, things could have gone in a significantly different direction. Had the offer not been matched, Vanek would have gone to Edmonton, but the Oilers would have paid an even higher price. With the offer being $7 million per year, Edmonton’s next four first-round picks would have become Buffalo’s.

That’s a truly absurd amount of capital and the myriad of possibilities it would have opened up are mind-boggling, especially considering that two of Edmonton’s first-round picks during that stretch were first overall (assuming Vanek wouldn’t have changed their fate). Had the Sabres done what they should have done and re-signed Drury, Briere or even both, they could have afforded to let Vanek go and reap the rewards. The Austrian stayed with the Sabres until 2013 and while he was their top star during that stretch, he was never the same player after that stellar season and four first-round picks in exchange for him would have been a bargain and a half.

Related: Which NHL playoff drought will end this season?

Losing Vanek would have been a blow in and of itself, make no mistake. But Buffalo could have used those extra first-round picks to cultivate a goldmine of young talent and grow organically or packaged them in a number of trades to bring in big names and continue to dominate the league. There’s no telling what might have happened with the notoriously conservative Regier in charge, of course, but this whole situation serves as a cautionary tale of sorts. The Sabres have set themselves up for a dead end in this bewildering saga and, as a result, missed a golden opportunity to embarrass themselves. Hopefully, the franchise has learned from its mistakes.

Are there any other Sabres “what ifs” that you haven’t seen yet that you’d like to see on a future list? Let us know in the comments!