Not a chance, and if this management continues to ignore gapping holes in the lineup, and keep hoping dead wood will spring new leaves, then we will miss next year too.
I am a day trader, and I see this exact same mentality in the people that lose money every day. Holding onto losers out of hope they will turn it around, and worrying that if you get rid of the stock it will turn around the next day and you will miss out, and then betting on stocks that are way down thinking they are smarter than the market.
Get good blue chip players and you will win more than lose. Buffalo's management is giving us excuses why they are playing small ball, but it is a recipie for continued losing.
You want to win a cup? Take a roster like Boston, and match it up against the Sabres, and in every spot that the Sabres player is not as good? F'ing mark that spot for replacement. Then, EVERY opportunity you get to reasonably improve one of those spots........ DO IT!
Its actually not that freaking hard of a concept.