Of all people, I'm going to try and counter this much pessimism. Actually, I'm naively optimistic every October. November, not so much, usually. Because — sports is, and should be, crazy and unpredictable*. "The surprising Buffalo Sabres" might just show up one of these years and stick around to an unlikely playoff berth. It's possible if the stance of the organization allows it. I hear promising things from Granato about trying to win. Where KA and ownership are, who knows.
*72-73 was unexpected; so was 79-80 to some extent; 96-97; 05-06; and maybe a few other seasons.
Teams often don't follow a prescribed timeline.
There. Hope.