The Buffalo Sabres have lost five in a row and are one point out of the NHL basement, so now what? Last season it was a no-brainier as General Manager Tim Murray stood by as the Sabres lost every game in January and ultimately finished with the worse record in the league. That finish of course was justified to allow the Sabres a shot at drafting Connor McDavid, but the lottery pick went to Edmonton instead. This season the top pick is highly rated Auston Matthews so should Murray let the cards play out again?

The 2016 Sabres are just three points ahead of last year’s team at this exact point of the season, but they appear to be a much better team. The addition of Eichel, O’Reilly, Reinhart and Kane have made Buffalo a more competitive team. Yet, while they hang in longer with better teams this season they have only won 15 games, one more than they won on this date last season.

My guess is Murray has to help Coach Dan Bylsma’s squad get better. Any sense that the Sabres are again looking to finish last and fatten their minor league rosters would not find fans as patient as they were in 15′.

It’s becoming obvious that the team Murray gave Ted Nolan in 2014 was not just bad, but historically bad. Nolan’s approach of “hard work makes up for other sins” did the trick early last season, but when injuries struck Murray left him with an extremely bare cupboard.

I heard one local Sabres beat reporter claim in October that Bylsma’s coaching staff did much more coaching and teaching than last year’s staff. Yet his staff has almost an identical record as last year’s with arguably a much better roster.

Expectations were higher for the Sabres this season, although nearly as high as they were for the Buffalo Bills. Fans hoped this team would make the playoffs, but they weren’t counting on it. They were not however, expecting to finish dead last again. Ted Nolan was sacrificed after last season’s intentional dead last finish, who would be next to go this year?

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