Everything has changed. The team is making strides to be on par with the winningest franchises in the game. Not everyone has had continued success throughout their NHL lifetimes, all teams have had slumps, bad seasons, missed playoffs and been at the bottom of the league just like the Sabres were. The top teams today aren't that far removed from there, it's amazing what a couple top 5 picks can do for a franchise(Oilers excluded)