Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
What are the Buffalo Sabres going to do with their second first round draft pick? The Buffalo Sabres have the hopes of landing in either the first or second overall spot in the 2015 NHL Draft, the chance to draft either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel is extremely powerful.
But over the last few years, the Buffalo Sabres have been amassing draft picks upon draft picks, with the hope that one day, the team will strike gold and the rebuild will be complete. We are nearing the end of that tunnel.
General Manager Tim Murray has already traded away one of the three first round draft picks that the Buffalo Sabres hold for this year’s NHL Entry Draft. Buffalo owns their own draft pick, and the first round draft picks of the St. Louis Blues (Ryan Miller/Steve Ott Trade) and the New York Islanders (Thomas Vanek Trade). The have to give the lower of the two draft choices to the Winnipeg Jets (Evander Kane/Zach Bogosian deal).
Of course as we were convening the second edition of the round table, the Buffalo Sabres general manager dropped word at the GM meetings that the Buffalo Sabres were open to trade offers on the second of their remaining draft picks in the first round.
Are the Buffalo Sabres going to trade up in the first round to target another player that they want in the first round? Are they Buffalo Sabres going to make a hockey trade for a player that will compliment whomever they draft in the top of the first round?
Who else will the Buffalo Sabres include in the tradable components to make it all happen – and will it happen on Tim Murray’s terms, or will he have to take it or leave a deal that will be put on the table in front of him at the draft?
Follow through our slide show to see what everyone on the staff here at Sabrenoise thinks of the upcoming draft process as far as the late first round pick still owned by the Buffalo Sabres.
And my recommendation, if you haven’t yet seen Draft Day with Kevin Costner yet, you might want to before the NHL draft this year, because it will get you all sorts of pumped up for the picks.
Next: Melissa Kania, Editor - SabreNoise
(Photo: Melissa Kania)
Melissa Kania, Buffalo Sabres Editor, SabreNoise
Heading into the 2015 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres have a pair of first-round draft picks. One important thing to keep in mind here is this: the Winnipeg Jets are getting our latest first-round draft pick, as per the conditions of the trade that shipped out Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford and brought in Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. That leaves the Sabres with their high draft pick, which they’ll (obviously?) keep, and the other pick TBD.
I think the Sabres will end up trading their second pick in the first round. It seems as though GMTM is definitely willing to trade that pick, according to the reports that came out on Monday, so… why not do it? In all actuality, it really depends on what the return would be to see if it would be worth it, but we know that Murray isn’t opposed to the idea. He even said at the trade deadline that the team has a lot of picks that can be used for purposes OTHER than picking players on draft day. Murray’s never been afraid to make a splash before – why would this be any different?
The question becomes: do we keep the pick and select a player who may not make an immediate impact in the NHL? A player who more than likely will not come to the big league right away, but who could be an investment into the team’s future and who could be a solid piece in the years to come?
Or – do we trade the pick, and receive in exchange either a) additional picks (which seems unlikely, given Murray’s comments) or b) players? If the team gets players, good, key pieces, in exchange for that second pick, these would be guys who could make an immediate impact with the team when October rolls around. This would be more of an investment in the team’s present status, the “here and now,” and more of a short-term thought than a longer-term investment.
In the end, it’s really about the return for the pick. Don’t give it up if there isn’t something good coming back to Buffalo. It’s time to really start thinking about the future of this team and about what is going to help the team to succeed. If I were GMTM, would I trade the pick? I’m not sure. I guess it really depends, but I’d be open to calls about it, that’s for sure.
Next: Patrick Helper, Editor - Too Many Men On The Site
Patrick Helper, General Hockey Editor, Too Many Men
The Buffalo Sabres 2015 Draft could be one of the more interesting drafts we have had the chance to see in years. After what can only be described as a terrible season come to an end Sabres fans will turn all of their attention to the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Let’s take a few minutes and forget about the coveted first or second overall pick and turn our focus to Buffalo’s second round pick. Buffalo will not pick a player in the second round, or at least the will trade away the pick that the New York Islanders sent them in the Thomas Vanek deal.
This is where the Draft gets fun; the Sabres will take their pick and package it with one of the two lower first round picks they currently own. The deal will be a first, the second from the Islanders and Mikhail Grigorenko to the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan O’Reilly.
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Colorado is going to wash their hands of O’Reilly and I do believe that the Sabres are done with Grigorenko. The catch with this deal is the Avs want big defensemen to sure things up on their blueline. Leading up to the NHL trade deadline there were rumors about Tyler Myers for O’Reilly. It is those rumors that make me think a top four defensemen will be part of any trade. The only player I see that fits the criteria would be Nikita Zadorov.
Both “prospects” could easily slide in the Avalanche system and paired with the two picks mentioned earlier should be enough to bring O’Reilly to Buffalo. The Sabres are done rebuilding; now it’s about bringing in the right players to make this roster Cup worthy. The addition of Evander Kane and the possible addition of O’Reilly coupled with Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel makes the Sabres a Playoff contender.
There is no reason to use the second round pick if it can land you a top six forward who has experience, and skill. The Sabres have prospects, and simply adding another with a second round pick is not only pointless it’s a waste of time.
Sabres fans have been forced to endure years of suffering and the occasional mediocre play; it’s time for the Sabres front office to step up their game and show the NHL that just because you stink for a few years doesn’t mean you are a joke.
As we move closer and closer to finally reaping the rewards of being a historically bad team fans and the front office alike will start to dream of crazy possibilities for the 2015 NHL Draft.
Next: Jacob Strozyk, Staff Writer - SabreNoise
Mar 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres center
(45) in the first period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jacob Strozyk, Buffalo Sabres Staff Writer, SabreNoise
The value of a first round pick these days seems to be rather high. With very few first rounders in this year’s draft being traded at the deadline (or at all) the Sabres hold a valuable card in their hands. Since this year’s draft runs deep with talent, the Sabres have the ability to use it for a solid potential NHL player (just look at how well Tyler Ennis has developed), or they can use it to acquire a current NHL player.
Now, I’m always the guy to put a lot of hope on the potential of draft stock, but the reality is that the eventual ability of the drafted player does not meet their original draft stock (i.e Marek Zagrapan). Due to this fact and the knowledge of Tim Murray’s desires to turn this team around starting next season, I think they should trade the pick.
Murray already has his first draft as the Buffalo GM under his belt, and he picked the best man available at the forward position, Samson Reinhart. This year he gets to pick either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Any one of those players are cornerstones to a turnaround. Trading the later first round pick that they have will allow Murray to acquire some depth on the NHL roster, or perhaps even land a goaltender.
The value of the pick (despite it being late in the first round) is still relatively high. If the draft were to happen tomorrow the Sabres second pick would be at #23. That is still a solid draft pick for a contending team, or a bubble team to use to further improve their depth.
The Buffalo Sabres ought to trade this pick when the draft comes because they have a flurry of second round picks. If they trade the first rounder (and perhaps something else with decent value) then they could land a younger veteran player to bolster the team for next season. If they make the right moves, a pick like this could be interesting to a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
They will be looking to rebuild and want to stockpile draft picks and let go of their veteran players. Now, I’m not getting ahead of myself here, and it’s not the most realistic idea, but the Sabres could possibly land (for the right price) Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, or even Jonathan Bernier. Granted, these are not the most realistic ideas, but the attractiveness of a later pick in the first round could have the Leafs’ GM sniffing around for a possible deal with Tim Murray.
Overall the pick can be used as is, or be traded. The best option is a trade due to the potential factor. If Murray can see the pick, or package it with the right player(s) then he could have a gem in his back pocket.
Next: Tim Redinger, Senior Editor - SabreNoise
Mar 17, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie
(35) makes a save on top of the goal during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Redinger, Buffalo Sabres Senior Editor, SabreNoise
Tim Murray is going to find a trade partner for the late first round pick that he has in the first round, because – he doesn’t need to make that first round pick.
Tim Murray and the Buffalo Sabres are eyeing this off-season as the end of the rebuild and the start of the future. With that in mind, he has to be thinking about his goaltending. The plan wasn’t to rebuild everything in front of the crease, and then allow his prospects, who still might be at least a year away from being even NHL ready, let alone ready to start the bulk of the games for an NHL team, to mature.
A guy like Anders Lindback is supposed to be solving our problems right now. Not winning games, keeping us in the bottom of the standings, but someone we can take a sub-par goaltender and turn him into a magic man once he gets into the crease full time. Look at the season Jhonas Enroth had here in Buffalo; he leaves and the number drop. Michal Neuvirth played horrible in relief, but once he got the crease full time he turned into the same thing Enroth had been doing.
Now we are seeing the same thing out of Lindback. These numbers don’t last forever though, and he will eventually return back to his normal state. That is why I think Tim Murray might target a goaltender with the first overall pick in this year’s draft via trade. Now he certainly won’t be trading one for one – goaltenders aren’t first round draft picks. They are more like running backs – guys you can find in later rounds serve the same purpose.
I would like to see Tim Murray swing a trade for a solid goaltender prospect, maybe someone who has proven himself at the NHL level, and is ready to step in and play the role of starting goaltender. The only problem with making this move, is he might night be your guy of the future. The Buffalo Sabres have a guy further down the depth chart in Linus Ullmark, and have been showing interested in their college goalie Cal Petersen and undrafted free agent Matt O’Connor.
There is no saying that these guys would be ready for the NHL next season though, so Tim Murray could land himself a bridge guy that will win and get him to his goaltender.
