Predicting what the Buffalo Sabers will do on draft night

We are one week away from the 2024 NHL Draft. Currently, the Buffalo Sabers hold the 11th overall pick. The question is, will they stay put and draft a player at 11th overall or will they trade the pick? This has been a topic of debate among Sabers fans and a week from today we’ll find out what Buffalo ends up doing.

In this article, I’m going to have fun. I’m going to try to predict what Buffalo will do on draft night. Obviously we won’t know until it happens, but why not have some fun? That being said, here’s what I think Sabers general manager Kevyn Adams will do.

After some thought, I think Buffalo will trade the 11th pick for another player. In his most recent press conference, Adams repeatedly stated that Buffalo was ready to take the next step as a franchise. No one besides Adams and Sabers management knows what that means, but it could mean making the playoffs, something the franchise hasn’t done in 13 years when it got there in 2010/2011.

If that’s the goal, trading the pick for a proven player could help Buffalo take the next step. The Sabers have a ton of young talent, so it wouldn’t hurt to trade the 11th overall pick for a talented player who could be a necessity for the current team.

The current mood is that this could be Adams’ last chance to get the Sabers to where they want to be. It feels like the pressure is on and it should be. When you lead the team with the longest playoff drought in the NHL, there is a ton of pressure from the team and fans.

I don’t have a specific player, but it will be a guy who can contribute right away and help the Sabers take a leap forward.