Buffalo Sabres Next Move With First Round Pick

When the Buffalo Sabres offseason began there felt to be two guarantees before the NHL Draft. We would be guaranteed one of the two top forwards in recent memory and a new head coach would lead them.

The Sabres had the second pick in the 2015 NHL Draft handed to them with the Edmonton Oilers winning the lottery. Some fans may have thought they won it anyway with the signing of Dan Bylsma as head coach. With that decision made the next choice for GM Tim Murray surrounds the draft.

Not the second overall pick. As much as I’ve made the counter argument this pick isn’t going anywhere. It’s going to be Jack Eichel barring the Oilers front office failing concussion testing. The decision comes later in Round One with the 21st pick.

Murray could, of course, keep the pick and add another talent player to the system. Though with so many first and second round picks to come on top of the talent already waiting in Rochester, I don’t see how this pick stays in the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

Will Murray look to move out of this pick completely or offer a package to move up in the draft? Looking at the first round order the top five are set in stone. The rest of the top ten has a mix of rebuilding teams like New Jersey, retooling teams such as San José, and a team in desperate need of young talent and cap relief in Philadelphia.

Going through the entire top twenty I have a hard time believing Murray can bring back the type of young, power forward he would look for without giving up either Rasmus Ristolainen or Nikita Zadorov. The fan in me would approach calls on both players as non-starters.

The fun begins for me in considering trading out of the pick completely to a team that needs a first round pick to support a rebuild, maybe to get into the first round at all. The teams that come to mind for that are pretty ironic given recent Buffalo Sabres history.

The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have a pick in the opening round and surely wouldn’t mind moving into it at the right price. Problem is the Penguins don’t have the young forward they would be willing to part with. Beau Bennett is part of the future there, players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang aren’t going anywhere and few others on the roster fit the profile Murray is looking for.

What about the team the Buffalo Sabres lost the bidding war on for their first coaching target? The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to bottom out and start over after another fast start and limp to the finish. Now that Mike Babcock is the head coach in Toronto the Dion Phaneuf to Detroit rumors may calm down. Phil Kessel could also avoid the trade block.

That doesn’t change the fact the Leafs need to move salaries as part of their plan and the Buffalo Sabres have plenty of room to take on contracts with term for the right player. I gave one idea for the Sabres to address their depth issues at wing already, and another one may come from up north.

James van Riemsdyk is a proven scorer and only 26 years old with $4.25 million per year for the next three years left on his contract according to capfriendly.com. If the big two contracts are staying put, JVR is the next most attractive player on the Leafs roster. He would certainly cost more than the 21st pick and the Buffalo Sabres could pay that in spades with a combination of picks and prospects to help Toronto fill long-term needs.

But would two rivals come together to make such a big deal at the draft? I admit this idea is extremely unlikely. Big trades rarely happen between teams sharing a conference, never mind sharing a division. But it would fill needs for both teams. At this point it’s not a rumor or even speculation within the league.

That doesn’t stop me from considering even the most off-the-wall options. The idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres coming together on a deal like this after the bidding war over Babcock is just too good for me not to think about. Regional rivals clashing over a coach only to possibly come together for the next league blockbuster.

The next six weeks will be really fun for Buffalo Sabres fans. Is it October yet?

Next: Revisiting The 2005 NHL Entry Draft

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