By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
Daren Puppa of the Sabres
Taken in Round 4 in 1983
Other picks in the round: Esa Tikkanen was the biggest start in this round. The Oilers took him at No. 80, and he played 877 games in the NHL. Future Sabres Mikko Makela and Bob Essensa joined Puppa on this fourth-round list.
The details: When Puppa arrived on the scene in 1985-86, Tom Barrasso was installed as the No. 1 goalie of the Sabres. Puppa, therefore, had to wait his turn. When Barrasso was traded to Pittsburgh, Puppa moved up – and stayed through 1993. That’s when he and Dave Andreychuk went to Toronto for Grant Fuhr. However, Puppa did his best work for Tampa Bay later in the 1990s, with six straight seasons of sub-3.00 GAAs to his credit.
Other 74s: Gilles Hamel was a decent forward for the Sabres in the mid-1980s, and was traded for a similar player in Scott Arniel in 1986. Clarke MacArthur never bloomed for the Sabres in the 2000s, but he did have 62 points for the Maple Leafs in 2010-11. Devin Singletary has had two good years at running back for the Bills since arriving in 2019. Tim Anderson started 12 games at defensive tackle for the Bills in 2005, the highlight of his four seasons here.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
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