Entering this weekend’s draft, Darcy Regier is expected to be working the phones to continue shaping the Sabres roster.

After last year’s splash there seems to be some expectation that Regier will be quick to pull the trigger at the draft yet again. I took a little time to mull over the potential for acquiring Jordan Staal previously and I am now moving on to yet another popular topic; trading up in the first round.

The Sabres currently have four picks in the first 60 picks of this week’s draft and there is a growing opinion that Regier should package those picks in order to draft in one of the top five spots in the draft.

As of right now, the Edmonton Oilers will pick first, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs.

You can immediately rule out the Leafs and Canadiens as potential trade partners, as the expected bounty for one of the lottery picks is expected to aid the receiving team for the present and future. The Oilers might be the easiest team to coax out of their current position, but the first pick is expected to come with a higher price tag. The Islanders are likely to stand pat with their lottery pick and the Blue Jackets would likely entertain a number of offers but may not want to get stung like they did with the Jeff Carter trade last summer.

I like the idea of trying to move up to one of the lottery picks in this draft. Buffalo has four picks to play with and I think it would be very realistic to think that those four picks could be turned into two, or possibly three selections. Obviously, one of those selections would end up being in the top three or four. Continue reading →