Buffalo Sabers land 11th pick in NHL draft; Why should they consider trading him

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — With eight NHL teams battling for the Stanley Cup, the Buffalo Sabers and their front office spent Tuesday hoping the NHL Draft lottery would go their way. Unfortunately for Kevyn Adams and Sabers fans, the odds were not in their favor, landing the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Sabres, who have the NHL’s longest playoff drought at 13 seasons, have made 14 first-round selections in the last 10 years. In franchise history, they have owned the 11th pick five times:

Keith Ballard-2002

David Cooper-1992

Adam Creighton-1983

Mike Ramsey-1979

Lee Fogolin-1974

History tells us that Adams probably won’t move the pick. Since taking over as general manager in 2020, he has not given up a first-round pick in any deal he has made. He added first-round picks in trades for Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, but never used a first-round pick to acquire a player.

That should change this season.

With Lindy Ruff officially introduced two weeks ago, the team’s message was clear: the goal is to win now. It’s more likely than not that a player drafted outside the top 10 won’t make an impact in the NHL for two or more seasons.

Zach Benson was an exception last year, but don’t let that influence you.

In fact, of the 14 first-round picks the team has made over the past decade, only four have played more than 10 games in the season immediately following their selection. These four players are Benson, Eichel, Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin.

There’s no denying that a first-round pick in the top half of the draft has value, but the Sabres’ prospect cupboard is already pretty stacked and they only have a limited number of roster spots.

Next season, Jiri Kulich, Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosén and Ryan Johnson will have a real chance to become NHL regulars. Noah Ostlund is going in the right direction and could be a year away from getting a full-time spot. Sure, another first-round selection would be nice to add, but an NHL veteran would mean more to this team and speed up their timeline.

This doesn’t mean the Sabers should make a deal just for the sake of it, but if there’s a top-six forward or third-line center that can be acquired, Adams should do whatever he can. needed to help his team now. If he doesn’t and the drought extends another season, this may be his last first-round pick as Sabers general manager.