Who will the Buffalo Sabres target if they trade the 13 pick?

The Buffalo Sabres don’t need to hold onto the 13th overall pick. But if they covet a top ten player, they could trade up. Or, they could even trade down. 

In both my Mock Draft 2.0 and my Seven-Round Mock Draft, I had the Buffalo Sabres landing future power forward and Hamburg native, Quentin Musty. Also a fan favorite thanks to his proximity to Buffalo and spending his early days playing for the Jr. Sabres, Musty would make an incredible pick at 13th overall.

But what if the Sabres traded the 13th pick and moved up to try and select a player they may covet even more than Musty? Or what if they pulled off a blockbuster for someone like Brett Pesce or Noah Hanifin and moved back?

These are scenarios we need to consider just over 48 hours from draft day. So let’s get speculative and gain an idea of who the Blue and Gold could pick if they traded up, or if they moved back.

Who will the Buffalo Sabres target if they…

Traded up?

If the Buffalo Sabres traded up, chances are they’re looking to take one of four players:

• David Reinbacher
• Tom Willander
• Zach Benson
• Dmitri Simashev

While talents like Quentin Musty, Matthew Wood, and perhaps even Axel Sandin Pellikka could be there for the taking, Reinbacher and Benson are a pair of enticing prospects who could wind up as perfect fits for the Blue and Gold.

Reinbacher addresses an obvious need, as would Willander and Simashev, given how thin the Sabres prospects pool is on defense. As a teammate of Matt Savoie’s in the WHL, Benson, though undersized, is also going in the top ten in several mock drafts, including the one I ultimately used as a source for this article.

Traded down?

Since the Buffalo Sabres prospects pool is in fantastic shape overall, I can’t see general manager Kevyn Adams trading down to acquire more picks. Instead, a trade down means one thing: A trade for an established top four defenseman. 

Noah Hanifin of the Calgary Flames is one player whose name has been swirling around the rumor mill. Ditto for Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes. In the former scenario, the Sabres would likely send the 13th pick and perhaps a package that includes Noah Ostlund, and Jacob Bryson (hey, he’s worth a flier) to Calgary for Hanifin and the 16th overall pick.

Since the ‘Canes pick 30th, the Sabres would be trading down an astounding 17 spots, but in return, they would also snag Pesce. The Blue and Gold would also move a ‘B prospect’ in this trade, while hanging onto a valuable piece like Ostlund. Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News proposed moving Brett Murray’s rights if such a trade for Pesce occurred, and that could be a fair tradeoff.

Quentin Musty could still be there if Buffalo traded with Calgary, so it would be a win on all fronts, at least in the early going. As for a potential trade to the 30th pick that would bring in Pesce? The best available is the way to go.

Overall, it’s fun to speculate over what the frenzy could look like just two days out from one of the NHL’s biggest events. We will find out in just over two days.

Source: THW 2023 Mock NHL Draft Round 1: Our Writers Make Their Picks by Logan Horn, TheHockeyWriters.com