Buffalo Sabres Draft Rumors: Fowler, Kulikov And Moving On Up!

We lay out the most likely trade scenarios for the Buffalo Sabres as the draft quickly approaches!

The Buffalo Sabres may hold the 8th pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft (which starts tonight, by the way – you’re welcome!) but from the sounds of it, GM Tim Murray is planning on doing something to entertain the home crowd, since the draft is essentially a home game for the Sabres!

(Not that there will be many home-town fans in attendance – thanks, Mr. Pegula!)

There are three fairly solid rumors swirling about potential trades that the Sabres could be interested during draft weekend, so in order to give you a heads up on what to look for, here they are, in order of the most likely:

1. The Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks are involved in serious talks regarding defenseman Cam Fowler.

Unless you were hiding under a rock all day yesterday, you have certainly read that the Ducks were seriously considering moving Fowler, with the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens being considered the front-runners.  According to SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman, Sabres GMTM and Ducks GM Bob Murray have been ” talking about different possibilities for a long time,” as GMTM is not ready to include the 8th overall pick in the draft in a trade package for Fowler.

It appears as if Fowler is almost certainly going to be moved, since the Boston Bruins are also interested in acquiring a top-4 defenseman.  We’ll see if GMTM’s decision to keep the 8th pick out of the trade is a deal-breaker.

2. The Buffalo Sabres are looking to move up in the first round of the draft.

Friedman speculates that the reason GMTM might not be willing to part with the 8th pick is because, in addition to acquiring an LHD such as Fowler, Murray also wants to either swap places with Calgary (6th), Edmonton (4th) or even Columbus (3rd).

Although I like Fowler, he is at best a second-unit player on most teams and is not worth the 8th overall pick in the draft.  Granted, he would still be an upgrade over Zach Bogosian – but that is not saying much, is it?  If the Sabres are going to trade the 8th, I hope it is to move up in the draft.

3. The Florida Panthers are shopping blueliner Dmitry Kulikov, and the Sabres are also in the conversation. 

While the Buffalo Sabres are not linked to this rumor as strongly as they are to the first two presented here, Kulikov would not be a bad plan B should the Fowler trade talks fall apart.  With Keith Yandle having just signed a long-term deal with the Panthers, and with stud Aaron Ekblad about to do the same, Kulikov is expendable to Florida.  

Kulikov is not going to provide much of an impact to the Sabres on the offensive side of the ice (his career high is 28 points, back in 2011-12), but he adds depth to the Sabres defensive corps.  He’s got experience, plus he’s a left-handed shot.  Sounds like he goes elsewhere, but with GMTM aggressively seeking LHD, don’t completely dismiss this rumor.

Next: Buffalo Sabres Fan Chatter: Draft Day Edition

And there you have it!  As of right now, these are the three biggest rumors to follow on draft night.  Of course, the Buffalo Sabres could wind up simply using the 8th pick, and who knows what other mad schemes GMTM could be cooking up?   Keep your Twitter feed handy today – it’s getting interesting out there!