Sabres Ownership Named Worst in NHL

The 2024-25 season has been yet another rough year for the Buffalo Sabres as they continue to sit in the cellar of the Eastern Conference facing their 14th straight playoff absence. Without a playoff appearance in 14 years, the Sabres have the longest active postseason drought in the four major North American sports leagues.

Despite changes in just about every aspect of the organization over the last decade and a half, the Sabres don’t appear to have any upward momentum. A lot of that blame is falling on the shoulders of ownership.

In a recent survey from the Athletic, Sabres owner Terry Pegula was named the worst owner in the NHL. The Sabres finished dead last in every fan-evaluation category and 61% of fans have lost confidence in Pegula over the last year.

Pegula purchased the Sabres in February of 2011, promising he would help bring the Stanley Cup to Buffalo. Two months later the Sabres lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Flyers, and they haven’t returned to the postseason since.

Since Pegula has taken over ownership in Buffalo, the Sabres have finished last in their division five times, while ending a year with the worst record in hockey four times. Four general managers have come and gone in the last 14 years with no success to be spoken of.

Fans believe Pegula doesn’t have a willingness to spend or a vision for the future of the organization. Top draft picks and former players have gone on to win the Stanley Cup while the top-tier fans in Buffalo continue to watch their team struggle year after year.

This is a sharp contrast to how Pegula is viewed within the NFL. Pegula also owns the Buffalo Bills, who have routinely been one of the top teams in the league since he took over in 2014.

In December 2023, the Athletic ranked all 32 NFL owners and placed Pegula sixth in the entire league.

Pegula clearly knows how to build something successful. For whatever reason, the success of the Bills has not come close to rubbing off on the Sabres.