Nail the NHL Draft
Regardless of where an NHL team stands, it’s a must to nail the NHL Draft. The Sabres, given their record, still have holes to fill on the roster and they can further fill them with a solid draft. And even if they reach the point to where they’ve figured out their lines and augmented their youth movement, overall player movement still necessitates a solid draft.
At this point, the Sabres have three picks in the first round. Acquiring two of those picks involved trading forwards Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel. And while the Sabres caught a good return for Eichel with Tuch and Krebs, their first-round compensation for Reinhart will ultimately decide whether they effectively replaced him.
So, nail the draft, and further disperse players with solid futures in the NHL across the system. If nothing else, the draft will build solid depth for upcoming seasons. And that alone provides value.
(All statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)