Buffalo Sabres broadcast team ranked among NHL's worst in new poll

The Buffalo Sabres broadcast team hasn't been blessed with a lot of encouraging hockey to dissect in recent years, and perhaps that endless stream of on-ice failure had an impact on the group being ranked near the bottom of the NHL's television crews.

Harman Dayal and James Mirtle of The Athletic released the results from the outlet's annual fan poll of the league's broadcast teams. Buffalo rated No. 28 of 32 overall. Its national ranking (No. 22) was better than its placement from Sabres fans (No. 28). Last season, it was 22nd overall.

The Sabres' current crew features Dan Dunleavy (play-by-play), Brian Duff (host) and a pair of former Buffalo players, Rob Ray (color commentator) and Martin Biron (intermission analyst).

Rick Jeanneret, one of the most well-known voices in hockey history, held the play-by-play role from 1971 through 2022. RJ died in 2023 at the age of 81.

One respondent to The Athletic survey pointed out the difficulty of trying to replace someone who was the voice of the franchise for over five decades: "Rick Jeanneret will just never be topped, so it's hard to rate anyone, and it's probably unfair to grade announcers immediately following him."

Meanwhile, the broadcast team received a major behind-the-scenes change this offseason.

On July 1, Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News reported the Sabres informed Joe Pinter he wouldn't return for the 2025-26 season. Pinter produced Sabres games on television since 2002 and spent nearly 40 years with the organization on the TV side.

"According to sources, some members of Sabres management believe the television coverage has been too critical," Pergament wrote.

Pete Guelli, who serves as the Chief Operating Officer for both the Sabres and NFL's Buffalo Bills, denied that was why Pinter was let go but provided no further information:

Ultimately, the No. 28 ranking for the Sabres crew feels a bit harsh. They are tasked with attempting to find a silver lining 82 times a year for a franchise that's riding an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought. Being endlessly critical wouldn't change the on-ice product.

Duff is terrific in his role as a conversation starter, while Biron and Ray have both improved immensely as analysts during their time on Sabres broadcasts. Dunleavy will never match Jeanneret's unique style, nor should he try to, but he's a solid, consistent game-caller.

Fan criticism suggesting the discussions should be more critical have merit, especially in games where the Sabres are getting blown out, but how much negativity is too much? It's a tough line to toe.

Looking ahead, Buffalo figures to remain a fringe playoff team this season after an offseason filled with modest moves. The Sabres are once again betting heavily on internal improvement to end their postseason drought despite that approach's inability to generate the desired results in recent years.

If they don't show obvious signs of improvement early in the campaign, it'll be interesting to see whether there's a tone change from Dunleavy, Duff, Ray and Biron.