Buffalo Sabres: Adams will roll with the best available on draft day

Now that we know the Buffalo Sabres will pick 13th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, the question now is, who do they take with the selection?

A slew of mock drafts are now being released since the draft lottery took place last night, and the Buffalo Sabres ended up with the 13th pick. Since we know that the Blue and Gold will, for once, pick toward the middle of the round, expect general manager Kevyn Adams to utilize a draft strategy where he will roll with the best available talent in favor of going for a specific position.

And yes, while it’s true the Sabres desperately need defensemen in the rotation, there is no point in reaching for a lesser prospect when you may have a better option at forward on the board. For example, Matthew Wood could be there for the Sabres taking at 13th overall, and the 6’3, 190lb UConn product would be a great physical presence to take on opposing defensemen in front of the net a few years from today.

Kevyn Adams will stock the Buffalo Sabres with best available talent

Even if Adams has the Sabres going with a forward early, he still has plenty of chances to fill the prospects pool with defensemen, and expect him to take a few. I will stress, however, that the “best available” mentality will continue to extend to the middle and lower rounds, so don’t look for Adams to get cute with the selections, taking something like a lower-ranked blueliner because they are an RHD as opposed to an LHD, for example.

No, at the end of the day, Adams will take the best available prospects who are good at doing one thing: Playing hockey. So he’s not going to account for taking someone based on their position, or their handedness. With each pick, he’s going to correctly ask one single question: Can this player make the Buffalo Sabres organization better?

If the answer is ‘yes,’ he’s taking them, because at the end of the day, it’s the only trait he is, and should be, looking for. Happy Draft Season, everyone.