Gilbert Perreault, the first draft pick in Buffalo Sabres franchise history, is confident the organization is within striking distance of bringing a Stanley Cup championship parade to Western New York.
Perreault, a member of the French Connection — one of the best forward lines in NHL history — alongside Rick Martin and Rene Robert, spoke with Trainwreck Sports after an autograph signing in the Buffalo area on Sunday night.
"Well, the Sabres are gonna go all the way, you know," Perreault said. "Maybe next year, maybe in two years, but they got a really good team."
The 75-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer built an incredible résumé while playing his entire 17-year career with the Blue and Gold. It included eight NHL All-Star selections, the 1971 Calder Trophy and the 1973 Lady Byng Trophy.
Perreault, who scored 1,326 points in 1,191 games for the Sabres, spearheaded the team's run to the 1975 Stanley Cup Final, where Buffalo came up short against the Philadelphia Flyers. The club later reached the 1999 Final, losing to the Dallas Stars in controversial fashion.
The team legend, whose No. 11 is retired in the rafters of the KeyBank Center, is hopeful diehard supporters will soon be rewarded with a title celebration.
"They got great fans. Buffalo's great. It's a great city to be playing hockey here," Perreault told Trainwreck Sports. "And let's hope that next year they're gonna be in the Final."
The Sabres reached the second round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs before getting eliminated via a Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The Carolina Hurricanes raised the Cup on Sunday night following a triumph over former Buffalo cornerstone Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Now the focus shifts to a busy summer ahead for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who'll try to build a roster capable of making Perreault's prediction a reality.
Buffalo Sabres own some of the longest droughts in NHL history
The Sabres' long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season ended the longest postseason drought in league history at 14 years.
It's not the only unwanted list where Buffalo resides.
The Blue and Gold have never won the Cup across their first 55 seasons, which is tied for the second-longest streak in NHL history with their 1970 expansion partner, the Vancouver Canucks. Only the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs (59 years) have a longer championship drought.
Buffalo also hasn't reached the Final since that 1999 appearance, a stretch of 26 seasons. That's tied for the sixth-longest drought of all time.
That's why there are few fanbases in all of North American sports who deserve a championship more than Sabres supporters, who remained loyal despite having to wait 15 years between opportunities to witness playoff hockey in downtown Buffalo.
It's also worth noting the NFL's Buffalo Bills have never captured a Super Bowl title since joining the league in 1970. (The Bills did win back-to-back AFL titles in 1964 and 1965.)
So, it's about time something finally breaks right for the City of Good Neighbors, which now has two legitimate championship hopefuls with the Rasmus Dahlin-led Sabres and Josh Allen-led Bills.
The Sabres may have a little trouble making a massive offseason splash this summer because they only have around $11 million in salary-cap space and several internal free agents to make decisions on, led by UFAs Alex Tuch and Beck Malenstyn as well as RFAs Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs.
As a result, the goal over the next few months will likely be retaining as much talent as possible — signing Benson to a long-term contract extension should sit atop the to-do list — to make sure the team doesn't take a step backwards in 2026-27.
Then, when the financial outlook improves next summer, the Sabres should be in an ideal position to push all of their chips toward the center of the table with hope of a championship run.
One thing's for sure: Perreault firmly believes the franchise is moving in the right direction.
