NHL Draft

Double Minors: Draft Day Musings

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Bowen Byram may have been the favorite to be the first player moved by Kevyn Adams but the defender is still a Sabre as we creep up on the first round of the NHL Draft. 

The available information still suggests that Byram will be moved, even with Elliotte Friedman’s report on Friday’s 32 Thoughts that the market may have softened. Acquiring Michael Kesselring in the JJ Peterka trade provides a capable partner for Owen Power, something fans and the team have been desperate to see for some time. The way the season ended, with Byram playing mostly third pair minutes while Mattias Samuelsson slotted in next to Rasmus Dahlin, pointed to a divorce between the Sabres and Byram. Especially after his blazing start to the year as Dahlin’s partner. 

Bringing in a (likely) top four defenseman for Peterka creates opportunity for Adams as he shops Byram. I think there was probably some expectation that Byram could be flipped for a right handed defenseman, and that’s probably still on the table if the Sabres feel they need to find someone more reliable (on the ice and in the training room) than Samuelsson to play with Dahlin. However, the current defense corps is structured in a way that I would lean towards expecting to see a forward as the primary return for Byram as opposed to another defenseman.

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Looking to Past Drafts for the Framework of a Trade for the Sabres First Round Pick

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This is a crucial offseason for Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. This isn’t exactly new information for anyone who followed along as Buffalo’s playoff drought reached 14 years. A year after Adams tossed around phrases like “win now” the Sabres roster doesn’t feel any closer to breaking that drought than they did in the spring of 2024. 

There is certainly an expectation that Adams will finally have the sort of offseason fans have been hoping to see from him in each of the last two years. An active, aggressive approach to bring in players who can move the needle has been glaringly absent in recent years and this may be Adams’ last chance to get it right. 

Buffalo currently holds the ninth selection in this year’s draft after sliding two spots as a result of the draft lottery. Even if they had held their original draft slot, the Sabres weren’t likely to land one of the top talents in this year’s draft. While there are a handful of intriguing prospects who will be available at pick nine, none jump off the page as the sort of must-have talent that could take Buffalo to the next level. Another good, but not great, first round prospect won’t move the needle much for the Sabres. Certainly not in the short term. The relative weakness of the draft class and the glaring need for help on Buffalo’s roster have left many hoping Adams will trade his first round pick for help this summer. 

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Trade Market Indicates the Sabres Will Need to Offer More Than the 11th Pick

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Kevyn Adams hasn’t been shy about characterizing where he and the Sabres are in their build. He just recently appeared on Frank Seravalli’s show on Daily Faceoff and stressed urgency, saying they are “in the next phase,” a quote that strikes a different tone than the sort of comments he had made in past offseasons. 

Adams enters the summer with some expectation that he will be aggressive in making acquisitions that will finally put the Sabres back into the playoffs. One key piece in his arsenal is his 2024 first round pick, which falls at pick 11 after the NHL Draft Lottery. The 11th pick is a valuable trade chip for Adams, who could be shopping for wingers to round out the top six, a center who can take matchups in the middle of the lineup or even one more piece to bolster his blueline. Regardless of how Adams could spend that pick, there is a strong consensus among the fan base that it should be for sale to the highest bidder. 

What may get overlooked is the value a first round pick carries in today’s NHL. A pick in the top half of the first round carries substantial weight but if Adams has visions of bringing in a player who will contribute, he’ll almost certainly need to add to any offer involving the Sabres first round pick. There are plenty examples from around the league to look at and even two of Adams’ most notable deals – the Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen trades – included more than just a first round pick coming back. 

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Make it a Draft Week with “NHL Con”

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On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman floated the idea of the NHL putting on “NHL Con” or soe other form of convention as part of the draft celebration. The idea came as an offshoot of the discussion surrounding the league’s push to decentralize the draft.

It’s a terrific idea that the league should pursue with, or without, a shift in operations for the entry draft. The NHL Draft isn’t quite the fan extravaganza that the NFL Draft has become, but it’s certainly a draw for die-hards and there’s local interest as it moves from city to city. Tying in a massive, hockey-focused festival for the week of the draft would be an excellent way to draw more fan attention to the event, and to keep people engaged beyond the first round on Friday night.

The NHL’s version of Comic Con could become an offseason Mecca for various offshoots of the hockey community. Pulling in interests from equipment, collectibles, hockey history and kid-friendly events could provide days of relevant programming that builds up to the weekend’s draft. There could even be ancillary programming like a concert or two that the NHL could help put together as part of their arrival in the city that week. Maybe, if the city’s layout made sense for it, you could create an NHL Campus. Where you have the arena as ground zero as that is where the draft will occur, but other nearby venues (whether it be a convention center, park, college campus or concert hall) are all part of the programming that takes place during the week. That way if you were a fan hoping to see the Stanley Cup and get some autographs, you’d go to the Fan Fest space at the local convention center. But if you were there for a panel discussion, maybe you wind up at a smaller concert venue close to the arena. Regardless of the shape this would take, I’d hope that Elliotte’s initial suggestion was either an educated guess or that it has caught the ear of the special events people at the NHL and they’ve started to develop something. They won’t be short on options to include.

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The Instigator Podcast 11.41 – Sabres Draft Preview

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Draft week is here and we dig in on some of the players we think could be targeted by the Sabres with their first round pick and their pair of second round selections. We talk through a number of topcis, including the kick off of the trade activity and whether or not we see the Sabres making a notable move ahead of Wednesday’s draft. Our focus on potential draft picks was mostly on picks 13, 39 and 45, though we explore a few names for mid- and late-round selections as well.

The Instigator Podcast 10.43 – Final Prep for the 2022 NHL Draft

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It’s a big draft episode as we look ahead to Thursday’s first round and the three picks the Sabres hold. We spend time talking about Ivann Fedotov’s situation in Russia and how it could affect teams considering Russians in the first round of the draft. Specifically, Danila Yurov and the smoke surrounding him and the Sabres. We also talk about potential fits at the ninth pick, 28 and even pick 41. All that and more on this week’s episode of the podcast.

The Instigator Podcast featuring Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff

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Chris Peters of DailyFaceoff.com joins the show to offer up a preview of this week’s NHL draft. We talk about the wide variance of opinions on virtually every facet of this year’s first round. From the first pick through 32, we touch on how wide the range of rankings can be for numerous players. We also touch on Buffalo’s trio of first round picks and the players Chris sees as ideal fits at each of those selections.

The Instigator Podcast 10.36 – Sabres Hold 9th and 16th Picks after NHL Draft Lottery

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The Sabres didn’t see their picks move in the NHL Draft Lottery and they will draft ninth and 16th in this year’s draft. The only first round pick to be determined is that of the Florida Panthers, which will fall between 28th and 32nd depending on their finish. On this week’s show we talk about the lottery results and who the Sabres could be looking at with their top two picks. We also talk about Barry Trotz’ departure from the New York Islanders and run through some of the key talking points from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Instigator Podcast 9.32 – Breaking Down a Wild Draft Weekend

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We’re back with a longer episode this week as there was a lot of action from the draft to dig into. Not only do we discuss Buffalo’s picks but offer up our favorites of Kevyn Adams’ class of 2021. The big topics were the pair of trades the Sabres made; sending Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers and Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers. We provide a quick update on where the Eichel sweepstakes stand and close the show with a bit of conversation on free agency.

The Instigator Podcast 9.31 – Expansion and NHL Draft Breakdown

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Sandwiching this episode between the Expansion Draft and NHL Draft left us with quite a bit to talk about. We break down Seattle’s selections and their lack of side deals. We also run down the players the Sabres will have under consideration at first overall but also at the top of the second round. We close up the show with a brief Jack Eichel update and a quick rundown of Thursday’s trades.

Listen to “The Instigator Podcast 9.31 – Expansion Draft and NHL Draft Breakdown” on Spreaker.