I do no think you can compare Buffalo to other defunt families for a few reasons:
1) Maggidino headed the commission at one point. 2) Buffalo had 200 made men, they were bigger than 3 of the 5 families and Chicago. 3) Buffalo was set up as the gate keeper of the Canadian border from the days of prohibition them and Bonnano were the only families to have powerful crews on both sides of the boarder. The Bonnano's lost that when the Rizzuto's broke away, so Buffalo remained as the only family to have that route intact. 4) The other smaller families some had 20-30 Made men at their peak it is alot easier for those familes to die off. 5) At 200 Made memebers you had their sons, nephews, cousins etc to carry on the tradition. 6) The Canadiin smuggle route is stil intact today and as per current LE, that pipeline is being used to smuggle drugs onto U.S. soil. 7) That smuggle route is a racket onto itself. 8) How does Clevland, Dallas or even Tampa compare to Buffalo, as far as I know Trafficante Jr. really had all the power not so much his organization, pretty much everything died with him.
Nicky consider this if the Genovese family dwindled down from 200 made mebers where about they are today to say 20-30 guys would a lot of experts consider them being dead in relative terms?
That would be a 90% decrease, do you really need a squad for say 20 made guys?
Look at it this way if the 5 familes decreased in membership from where they are today say 700 made guys down to just 70 would the FBI need multiple squads to cover them? And would the overall opinion of the mob as a whole be that it is DEAD?
Yes however, it does not mean they are defunct.... and that does not mean that if the attention is taken away from them that they would not have the capacity to build from 20 to 30 to 40 again.
