How NHL can bring back Nordiques to have Canadian rivalries explode even more

While the Ottawa Senators made the playoffs for the first time eight years in 2025, the same can't be said for one of their biggest rivals, the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have yet to make the playoffs since 2011, which is currently the longest playoff drought in the NHL.

Buffalo's market has been declining big for years with poor attendance and the team struggling. It hasn't helped that the Sabres have had talented players on the roster that had success elsewhere after leaving. From Jack Eichel, to Sam Bennett, to Sam Reinhart, to Brandon Montour, to Linus Ullmark and to even Dylan Cozens today. Before midnight hit last night, the Sabres traded away JJ Peterka to Utah, another rising star.

Sabre fans are growing more frustrated with ownership and the front office. Not attending games at KeyBank Center is a way to show ownership that they're beyond frustrated with the team, but it could potentially hurt them. While Buffalo fans are frustrated, the NHL could have an idea that would help the Senators and the six other Canadian teams have rivalries explode.

Relocating Sabres to Quebec City to bring back the Nordiques would intensify Canadian rivalries

There are seven NHL teams located in Canada. One Canadian team that has been missing since 1995 are the Quebec Nordiques after they relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. With poor attendance and the market in Buffalo declining more, relocating the Sabres to Quebec City to bring back the Nordiques would help intensify the Canadian rivalries even more.

Relocating the Sabres would put eight NHL teams in Canada. That would then put 1/4 of the NHL teams based in Canada.

Bringing back the Nordiques would bring back the intensity rivalry the team had with the Montreal Canadiens. The Battle of Quebec was one of the biggest rivalries in the NHL when the Nordiques were in the NHL. Sadly, it's been gone for three decades.

The Senators were the talk of Quebec City this past January when it was announced the team would play two preseason games in Quebec City this September at Videotron Centre. While some people may have had the idea the Senators can re-locate to Quebec City, Senstors defenseman and Quebec native Thomas Chabot made it clear the Senators aren't leaving Ottawa.

If the Senators draw well in their two preseason games in Quebec City, and one of them is a game against the Canadiens, it can be a message to the NHL that Quebec City is still worthy of giving an NHL team a second chance.

Since 2011, two teams that had bad attendance both relocated. The then Atlanta Thrashers had poor attendance for years and then re-located to Manitoba, and the Winnipeg Jets returned after leaving in 1996. The Arizona Coyotes had attendance issues while playing in Glendale and then had an arena capacity of 5,000 while playing in Tempe for two years. With low attendance, the Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City and Utah saw a solid first year of fan support in the 2024-25 season.

That is the issue the Sabres face today. According to the New York Times, the Sabres finished 27th in attendance in the 2024-25 season.

Since the 2021-22 season, the Sabres have averaged below 16,000 per game in each season. According to Hockeydb, the Sabres did average over 18,000 fans per game in the 2010s while missing the playoffs, but there were plenty of games where visiting fans took over the arena.

What stings Quebec City natives is in the first year the Avalanche existed, they won the Stanley Cup. Fans in Quebec City will always wonder what a championship parade would've looked like. More pain hit in 2001 and 2022 when the Avalanche won two more Stanley Cups.

Small market teams have to have strong attendance to show the support. However, Buffalo has been declining for years now. If a team returns to Quebec City, the Senators and the six other Canadian NHL teams can form the rivalry with the Nordiques again.

The Nordiques jersey with the fleur-de-lis on it is still one of the most iconic jerseys in NHL history. Fans still wear them today at certain games, and Quebec City natives will still wear them as well.

Although the Sabres were founded in 1970, this long playoff drought has been the darkest point of the franchise with currently having a 14-year playoff drought. The NFL's Buffalo Bills went 17 years without the playoffs, and the Sabres are three more years away from tying that Buffalo record.