Buffalo Sabres: Third time’s a charm in NHL Draft Lottery

After just missing out on two occasions, the Buffalo Sabres finally strike it lucky at the third attempt, by winning the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery.

Saturday night was a time for any number of sayings for the Buffalo Sabres and their fans. The first one which comes to mind is ‘Good things come to those who wait’.

The Sabres finally had some good luck in arguably their most disastrous and disappointing season in franchise history. They will select first in this year’s draft, after winning the lottery.

Buffalo were always guaranteed no worse than the fourth pick. This was as a result of finishing last in the standings.

The irony will not have been lost on the fact the Sabres ‘won’ the top pick after a season in which they weren’t actually trying to tank. On the two previous occasions they finished bottom in the NHL it was intention — no matter what was said publicly — but they ultimately lost out on the number one overall selection.

Adding to this unlikely turn of events, was the fact the Sabres actually had less chance of securing the top selection, compared to 2014 and 2015. The odds of landing the number one pick were 25 and 20 percent respectively on those occasions, while being just 18.5 percent this year.

As you can imagine, Jason Botterill was over the moon with the result on Saturday night. As reported by Paul Hamilton of WGR 550, the general manager said:

"“It’s awesome, it’s a great feeling and I’ve been asked a lot about how I felt and to be honest, I wasn’t too nervous about the whole process.”"

However, this feeling changed as the lottery reached its final stages. Still speaking to Hamilton, Botterill said:

"“It was just a lot of waiting around and there was a little bit of nerves when it came down to the very end of the first round because it came down to one of us, Ottawa or Buffalo wasn’t going to be the pick and it was the first time I was sort of like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is a little nerve-racking’.”"

After all the pain and bad luck Sabres’ fans have endured during the team’s history, especially in recent seasons, they thoroughly deserved what happened on Saturday night.

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Whatever insults opposing fan bases want to throw at them, no one can deny Buffalo sports fans are among the most loyal in North America. Naturally, discussions will now revolve around who the Sabres will actually draft on June 22, in Dallas.

All signs point towards selecting Rasmus Dahlin, who is pretty much the consensus number one overall pick in most mock drafts. The Sabres need help on their blue line, and Dahlin has been described as a franchise-changing defenseman.

Not that Botterill is willing to admit this. When asked by Hamilton if the Buffalo Sabres will go with Dahlin, he laughed and said:

"“We want everybody to show up in Dallas. So we’ll go through our interview process and it’s important for me to get more involved in the process.”"

This shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to Sabres fans. They finally have something to celebrate, and will want their cheers heard loud and clear at the draft.

Next: Question marks remain between the pipes

With the lottery in the bag, thoughts now understandably turn towards the actual draft. If you were in the Buffalo Sabres’ position, who would you pick and why? Share your takes in the comments section below.