Buffalo Sabres NHL Draft Guide: Picks, Best Fits and Analysis

The Buffalo Sabers have nine picks in the 2024 NHL Draft: numbers 14, 42, 43, 76, 108, 109, 161, 172, 204. Here’s what to expect.

Analysis

The Buffalo Sabers hold the 14th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after making a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. General manager Kevyn Adams made it clear he was open to any trade and he started by trading the 11th pick for the 14th and 42nd picks. Adams has informed teams that he is open to the idea of ​​trading the pick for a proven NHL player if the right trade presents itself, and he now has nine picks to work with in this draft.

The Sabres have needs on their NHL roster, including another top-six winger, a couple of more physical bottom-six forwards and maybe another experienced defenseman. That’s what Adams will buy this offseason. But the team has a balanced prospect pool. They have so many young defensemen on the NHL roster and added some depth with Max Strbak and Gavin McCarthy on Day 2 last year. At forward, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Matt Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen are all recent first-round picks, while Anton Wahlberg was an early second-rounder expected to join the AHL next season. The lack of obvious prospect needs could give the Sabres the flexibility to take the best player available if they hold on to their first-round pick. The only need is some bigger players, particularly at forward. Most of their future prospects are rather modest, with the exception of Wahlberg.

The Sabres are expected to be active on draft weekend and at the start of free agency. Even if the Sabres don’t trade their first-round pick, the rest of their picks could also be available in trades. Adams is entering his fifth season as Buffalo’s general manager and the franchise’s playoff drought has reached a league-record 13 seasons. The urgency to win should be high. — Matthew Fairburn

Corey’s team needs: a goalie

Buffalo has made a lot of draft picks in recent years and has young goalies at every position. The Sabres have young goalies like Devon Levi and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen who are good young goalies. If I had to pick a position I would like to see them add more talent to, it would be in net and continue to try to find their clear starter of the future.

Learn more about each team’s biggest need here.

Names to watch

In recent mock drafts, Corey Pronman projected the following picks:

14. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, AD, Mora (SWEDEN-2)
42. Adam Kleber, defenseman, Lincoln (USHL)
43. Gabriel Eliasson, D, Hv71 Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)
76. Timur Kol, D, Omsk Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
108. Dawson Cowan, G, Spokane (WHL)
109. Miguel Marques, AD, Lethbridge (WHL)
161. Austin Burnevik, AD, Madison (USHL)
172. Fyodor Avramov, LW, Stupino Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
204. Roman Shokhrin, D, Loko-76 Yaroslavl (RUSSIA-JR.)

Read Corey Pronman’s latest mock draft for 2024 here.

(Photo of NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announcing the Sabres’ 11th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft: Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)