Losing has made Ryan O'Reilly a shell of what he used to be and a fraction of what he was supposed to be.

Acquired in 2015 to help lead the Buffalo Sabres out of the basement, O'Reilly has instead joined them there. He's found he was OK with that.

"We're stuck in this mindset of just being OK with losing," O'Reilly said Monday. "I feel it, too. I think it's really crept into myself. Over the course of the year, I've lost myself a lot, where it's just kind of get through, just being OK with just not making a mistake. That's not winning hockey at all, and it's crept into all of our games.

"It's disappointing. It's sad. I feel throughout the year I've lost the love of the game multiple times. You need to get back to it because it's just eating myself up and eats the other guys, too. It's just eating us up, and it's tough."

O'Reilly's love for the game, his desire to be on the ice was supposed to be a positive influence for the club. Yet despite getting the opportunity to be a leader – and being paid $52.5 million to be one – the 27-year-old has instead lost the joy.