Buffalo Sabres: Why Kevyn Adams should not trade down

Earlier this week, I wrote about why it made sense for Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams to trade down, to trade up, and to stay put. 

Today, we are talking about why Kevyn Adams should not trade the Buffalo Sabres ninth pick away and move down in the 2022 NHL Draft. Of all three options the Sabres have with the ninth pick, trading down is the least likeliest since they also have the sixteenth and twenty-eighth picks.

However, the NHL Draft is full of surprises and if there is one rule of thumb, it is to expect the unexpected. This means while Adams should just either hold the ninth pick or trade up, we cannot just assume that he won’t trade down if he gets an enticing offer.

But overall, there is just too much talent at the top of this draft for Adams to get rid of his top ten pick.

Why the Buffalo Sabres should not trade down in the 2022 NHL Draft

For one, they already have two picks below the ninth at sixteen and twenty-eight. For another, the vast majority of talent in any draft is often confined to the top ten or top fifteen picks. This means the Sabres can add a potential gamechanger with the ninth pick who in time could find themselves lining up alongside J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn.

While the clear upside to trading down is to acquire even more draft picks, the Sabres already have 11 of them. They are also a much deeper team with young, rich talent at both the NHL and AHL levels. This will become especially true if their newly-signed prospects like Isak Rosen and Aleksandr Kisakov have breakout seasons in the AHL.

With such a young core intact, Adams is running the risk of creating a logjam at the organization’s lower levels. Which is one reason trading up could be even more enticing in this situation. Fewer picks, but a gamebreaker like Logan Cooley or Frank Nazar are appetizing.

Or, if the Sabres stay at nine, they can still find top talents in Matthew Savoie, Joakim Kemell, Cutter Gauthier, and Conor Geekie. Bottom line: The Sabres still need a top-ranked scorer. And they most likely won’t get top-quality by trading down.