The Sabres are a bad hockey franchise to own other than for ego purposes. You might make money on capital appreciation (as NHL franchises remain scarce) but get killed on the operating side. The fan base is strong but only at a certain price point based on the quality of the team. The metro area has 1.2 million people, making it one of the smallest markets in the NHL Median household income is US$60 K on top of that. The TV numbers show it is a rabid fan base and good for those loyal fans but the fan base is not deep and the money is not there for US$100 tickets to sit at a game.
What continues to give the market some strength is you have 450,000 people in the Niagara region on the other side of the border. You have close to another 1 million once you start counting Hamilton-Burlington and household incomes closer to $100 K with a clear rising trajectory as people get priced out of the city of Toronto and move.
I realize nobody will like this in Buffalo, and I'm not even sure it can be sold to the NHL and players, but a regional franchise (Niagara Sabres anyone) would secure a better long-term future for the Sabres. I think they should split games between both sides of the border.
Is it doable in the NHL constitution? Unclear. But the facts on the ground don't look great for the Sabres in Buffalo long-term if you ask me. You can talk Bills all you want but that's a totally different experience of committing to eight games and mostly on Sundays.