Will the Buffalo Sabres go defense with the ninth pick?

Far fetched as it sounds, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News stated he believes the Buffalo Sabres may go defense with the ninth pick. 

While many in the Buffalo Sabres faithful will say that it makes no sense to take a defenseman with the ninth overall pick, it actually would make a lot of sense. Like most fans, I would rather see the Sabres go with a forward here, but I’m not going to flip out if they go defense. Nor would The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington.

Yesterday, he and Lance Lysowski answered five burning questions, one of which pertained to who they thought the Sabres would take at number nine. Harrington predicted Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

Could the Buffalo Sabres take a defenseman with the ninth overall pick?

Standing at 6’2, 185lb, Korchinski isn’t exactly a clone of former number one overall pick Owen Power. But 65 points in 67 games will turn fans’ heads. Further, in 25 playoff games, Korchinski scored 19 points, including six goals. Not half-bad for a defenseman, and definitely a player I’d want to see in the organization, though Denton Mateychuk remains my top defensive prospect.

So what was Harrington’s reasoning behind the selection? He cited what the Sabres said on Thursday regarding their draft strategy, which is to go with the best available prospect. Harrington further predicted that prospects like Matthew Savoie and Jonathan Lekkerimaki would be long gone before the ninth selection.

He further cited uncertainties whether former first round pick Ryan Johnson would sign. And if you followed the Johnson saga, you probably have your own doubts as to whether the defenseman will join the organization.

Harrington also pointed to Oskari Laaksonen’s spotty play last season and the Amerks defenseman was a healthy scratch in the 2022 playoffs. Earlier last season, I had Laaksonen as a potential dark horse to join the Sabres defensive rotation in 2022-23. Problem is, the guy regressed following that projection, and until his defensive game improves, the AHL remains his ceiling.

So if the ninth pick and if the Sabres select a player like Korchinski, be neither surprised nor angry. Be grateful, because his two-way game would make him an outstanding selection at ninth overall.

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)

Article Source: Sabres roundtable: Answering 5 burning questions ahead of the NHL draft by Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington.