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The Greatest Buffalo Sabres of All Time

All-time greats by position · era-adjusted

Updated 2026-07-09

The greatest Buffalo Sabres of all time — the forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who defined the franchise. Each is ranked by their finest era-adjusted season, weighted by how long they anchored the roster, so a dominant year from any era is measured fairly.

Top forwards

  1. Thomas Vanek Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2006 · 43G 41A 84P · +47 · 82 GP
    70Peak
  2. Alexander Mogilny Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1992 · 81G 54A 135P · +7 · 77 GP
    69Peak
  3. Danny Gare Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 60G 36A 96P · +52 · 76 GP
    69Peak
  4. Pat LaFontaine Center
    1 season sampled · peak 1992 · 52G 93A 144P · +11 · 84 GP
    71Peak
  5. Gilbert Perreault Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1975 · 45G 71A 116P · +17 · 80 GP
    63Peak
  6. Don Luce Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1974 · 34G 44A 78P · +63 · 80 GP
    63Peak
  7. Daniel Brière Center
    1 season sampled · peak 2006 · 32G 64A 96P · +17 · 81 GP
    63Peak
  8. Derek Roy Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2007 · 34G 52A 85P · +14 · 78 GP
    59Peak
  9. Tage Thompson Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2022 · 49G 49A 99P · +4 · 78 GP
    57Peak
  10. Rick Martin Left Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1974 · 63G 52A 115P · +6 · 68 GP
    60Peak
  11. Jason Pominville Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2007 · 27G 53A 80P · +16 · 82 GP
    56Peak
  12. Pierre Turgeon Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1989 · 41G 68A 109P · +10 · 80 GP
    54Peak

On defense

  1. Rasmus Dahlin Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2025 · 20G 59A 79P · +19 · 77 GP
    51Peak
  2. Jerry Korab Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1974 · 12G 46A 58P · +43 · 79 GP
    44Peak
  3. Jim Schoenfeld Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 10G 29A 38P · +64 · 77 GP
    43Peak
  4. Jocelyn Guevremont Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1975 · 12G 41A 53P · +48 · 80 GP
    44Peak
  5. John Van Boxmeer Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 11G 41A 52P · +41 · 80 GP
    40Peak
  6. Alexei Zhitnik Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1997 · 16G 32A 47P · +20 · 78 GP
    39Peak
  7. Phil Housley Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1989 · 22G 61A 83P · +11 · 80 GP
    41Peak
  8. Mattias Samuelsson Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 2025 · 14G 29A 43P · +43 · 78 GP
    41Peak

In goal

  1. Dominik Hasek Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1998 · 30W · 1.87 GAA · .937 SV% · 9 SO
    76Peak
  2. Ryan Miller Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2009 · 41W · 2.22 GAA · .929 SV% · 5 SO
    66Peak
  3. Daren Puppa Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1989 · 31W · 2.89 GAA · .903 SV% · 1 SO
    70Peak
  4. Don Edwards Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1980 · 23W · 2.96 GAA · .898 SV% · 3 SO
    70Peak
How this ranks: a player’s best season with the Buffalo Sabres is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then nudged up for how many standout seasons they gave the club — rewarding peak brilliance and franchise tenure together.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the greatest Buffalo Sabres player of all time?
By All-Time Hockey's era-adjusted peak-season ranking, Thomas Vanek leads the Buffalo Sabres all-time greats; the top three overall are Dominik Hasek, Ryan Miller, Daren Puppa. Each player is scored on his finest season relative to the league around him.
Who is the best Buffalo Sabres goaltender of all time?
Dominik Hasek ranks as the top Buffalo Sabres goaltender by peak era-adjusted season, weighted by win volume so durable starters outrank one-year standouts.
How are the all-time Buffalo Sabres rankings calculated?
Each player's best season with the Buffalo Sabres is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then weighted by how many standout seasons he gave the club. Data spans the 1960s to today.

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