Buffalo Sabres LHD Options: Is The Draft The Answer?

The Buffalo Sabres desperately need a top-4 LHD, but can they rely on the 2016 NHL Entry Draft?

Fact: the Buffalo Sabres have a gaping hole on the left side of its defensive corps.

Fact: the Buffalo Sabres currently hold the 8th pick in the upcoming 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Fact: there are three left-handed blueliners in this year’s crop of talent that are projected to go in the top ten of the draft.

Given all of those facts, it makes sense that the Buffalo Sabres would be looking at the 2016 NHL Draft as the means of filling its biggest hole on the roster, right?

Well . . . .

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It is undeniably convenient that Mikhail Sergachecv, Jakob Chychrun, and Olli Juolevi are all left-handed defensemen who are projected to be top-ten talents in this year’s pool of prospects. No one will fault the Sabres if they decide to stand pat, keep the 8th pick, and draft either of these three players should any of them be available. (My pick would be Joulevi, but I’ll get to that later this week!)

Of course, standing pat and waiting for one of those three guys to fall into the 8th spot is not a fail-safe approach. For starters, there are seven teams ahead of the Sabres in the draft. While a few of those teams will certainly be looking to add an offensive weapon to their rosters – we all know Auston Matthews will be taken first, with Patrick Laine and Matthew Tkachuk certain to be picked before the Sabres are on the clock – the Edmonton Oilers desperately need help at the blueline, and you could argue that the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes might also value depth at the blueline over scoring at this stage. I have not read a lot of mock drafts following the draft lottery, but of the two I did check out over at NHL.com, one had Chychrun, Juolevi and Sergachev all picked by the time the 8th pick rolled around.

Even if the Sabres do happen to find an LHD still available at number 8, chances are it will not be Chychrun, considered to be the most NHL-ready defenseman in this year’s draft. I would be extremely surprised if Juolevi was available, too, which means the Sabres would be left with Sergachev, whom I have some reservations about, so pass. It would seem, then, that remaining in the 8th position is not going to get the Buffalo Sabres a left-handed blueliner that can help the team in the next year or two.

Of course, the Sabres could try and trade up in the draft, but that leads us to the question, are Chychrun or Juolevi NHL-ready, or at worst, a year away? Scouts seem to think so, but when you read the scouting reports in any given year, the top-ten prospects are always praised as if they are the second coming of some successful NHL player. Everyone knows that defense is a difficult position to master at the NHL level, and while Chychrun and Juolevi would seem to be NHL-ready by 2017-18, if not right away, are they worth whatever player the Sabres would have to move out in order to move up? Almost certainly not, which leads us to the final way that the Buffalo Sabres can use the 2016 NHL Draft to acquire a top-4 LHD: trade their first-round pick.

Next: Draft Options: Mikhail Sergachev

Buffalo GM Tim Murray has already stated that he feels good about his stable of forwards, and that finding a top-4 blueliner who can run point on the power play is a top priority. Such players don’t get moved cheaply, if they get moved at all, but a top-ten pick in the draft is a good way to get people listening. We keep bringing up the Anaheim Ducks, who have a wealth of talent at the blueline and a history of severely under-achieving in the playoffs. Could a trade package including Buffalo’s first-round pick convince Anaheim GM Bob Murray to part ways with Cam Fowler or RFA Hampus Lindholm? The Ducks certainly could use a winger such as Pierre Luc-Dubois, or a center such as Logan Brown, since Anaheim’s best forwards are all on the wrong side of 30. The same could be said for the Philadelphia Flyers, who are light on play-making forwards and could be convinced to part with someone like Michael Del Zotto.

The bottom line is that the Buffalo Sabres cannot rely on picking 8th in the upcoming draft to pick up the top-4 LHD they need. Sure, the team might get lucky and find Olli Juolevi is still on the board when it is their time, but the odds certainly are not in their favor in this respect. If the Sabres truly feel that picking up a left-handed blueliner is a top priority, however, their first-round pick becomes a valuable trading chip, if they can find a team willing to talk. Otherwise, expect the Sabres to draft a winger with the 8th pick in the upcoming draft.

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