Craig Ramsay knew his role in professional hockey: defensive forward.  Luckily for the Sabres, he did it well.

Rene Robert debuted with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970-71, and it caught the attention of the Buffalo Sabres, who plucked him in the Intra-League Draft of 1971.  His stay with Buffalo was not even a day, as the Pittsburgh Penguins then took him via the same draft.  The Sabres never forgot about the French Canadian, as they traded Eddie Shack to acquire him in March 1972.

Danny Gare exceeded expectations early, as the Second Round Pick made the Sabres roster immediately, scoring 62 Points and finishing third for the Calder in 1974-75.

In the late 1980s, the probability of Soviet hockey players increased significantly.  The Buffalo Sabres got in on that, taking up and coming Alexander Mogilny 89^th Overall in 1988.  A year later, after participating in the World Hockey Championship in Stockholm, he defected to the United States and joined the Sabres.