In the Stanley Cup Final over the past few years, there’s been a strange recurring theme that some fans may have not even noticed. Dating back to 2019, former Buffalo Sabres players have had quite the presence on hockey’s grandest stage and a few even raised the hallowed trophy when it was over and done with. And that trend has come to the forefront in this year’s incarnation.
The Florida Panthers currently feature a number of ex-Sabres on their roster, most notably former captain Kyle Okposo and former second-overall pick Sam Reinhart, while the Edmonton Oilers have one of their own in Evander Kane. A former member of the Buffalo blue and gold is going to lift the Stanley Cup this year regardless of the outcome, but a Panthers victory would be much more poignant. A championship ring would be a fitting reward for both Okposo and Reinhart (albeit for very different reasons) and would also cast even more of a shadow on their former team.
Ex-Sabres Have Become a Stanley Cup Good Luck Charm
Since the 2018-19 season, at least one Sabre cast off has appeared in the Stanley Cup Final and in one sense, that’s perfectly plausible. There are 31 other teams in the NHL besides Buffalo, uncontracted players can join any team of their choosing and two of those teams will inevitably be the last standing each season. But upon a closer examination, it becomes tougher to write off as a coincidence and at times it’s seemed as if higher forces have been at work. Because, actually, the three players who left the Sabres and went on to win the Stanley Cup not long after didn’t leave by their own choice.
The first (and most dramatic) example, Ryan O’Reilly, was traded by the Sabres after the 2017-18 season when his comments about the team’s losing ways ruffled quite a bit of feathers. He was sent to the St. Louis Blues and the following season he led them to a remarkable and improbable Stanley Cup championship. O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the postseason in scoring and also took home the Selke Trophy after the season, giving him an emphatic last laugh on the Sabres fans that labeled him a cancer.
It wasn’t the same circumstance for Zach Bogosian in 2020 but he too left Buffalo in less than desirable fashion. The Sabres terminated his contract that February after he was waived and refused…
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