A week ago, it felt like Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was stuck with his back against the wall. Little salary-cap flexibility, star winger Alex Tuch set to hit the NHL free-agent market and a late first-round draft pick unlikely to yield immediate help.
Everything changed Tuesday night when Kekalainen traded defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 overall pick, a second-round selection (No. 45) and 6-foot-8 blueliner Louis Crevier.
Now the Sabres have two picks inside the top 20 of the 2026 NHL Draft — they previously moved up from No. 27 to No. 20 by trading defenseman Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks — and also have a little wiggle room with around $21.3 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.
So, a summer that seemingly had a narrow pathway to true success suddenly features a world of possibilities for Kekalainen and his front office.
Buffalo may still use its newly acquired draft picks in another high-profile trade — a bona fide first-line center and a proven goaltender sit atop the club's wish list — but there would be nothing wrong with standing pat and using those selections to restock the farm system.
Let's take a look at the prospects the Sabres may target if they retain their six picks in this year's draft, which kicks off Friday night at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.
No. 4 (Round 1): Chase Reid, RHD, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
If the draft's first three picks are Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra, which is the current expectation, the Sabres would face a difficult choice between Reid, the class' top defenseman, and Viggo Bjorck, a hardworking center who'd look great between Zach Benson and Josh Doan in the future.
We'll go with Reid, which would give Buffalo two highly touted right-shot defensive prospects who are likely one year away from the NHL. Radim Mrtka, the club's 2025 first-round selection (No. 9 overall), is the other, though he's been mentioned in trade rumors since the deadline.
Keeping them both could give the Blue and Gold a blue line that looks something like this for 2027-28 and beyond:
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | Chase Reid |
Owen Power | Radim Mrtka |
Mattias Samuelsson | Louis Crevier |
That's incredible depth, and would give the Sabres the flexibility to go all-in chasing a high-end forward next summer if they're unable to land one this offseason.
Reid, who's committed to play college hockey at Michigan State next season, posted 48 points (18 goals and 30 assists) in 45 OHL games for Soo in 2025-26. He has all the tools to eventually become a bona fide first-pairing defenseman in the NHL.
No. 20 (Round 1): Nikita Klepov, F, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
The Sabres have plenty of forward depth, both at the NHL level and in their farm system. If they keep their picks and do select Reid at No. 4, this choice should be all about taking the forward with the highest ceiling, even if there's some bust potential.
Klepov doesn't have an extended track record of success, with one modest season of USHL production before his breakout campaign with Saginaw. He compiled an eye-popping 97 points (37 goals and 60 assists) in 67 OHL appearances.
Whether he'll be able to back that up with another standout season against tougher competition — like Reid, he's slated to play for the Spartans of Michigan State in 2026-27 — is a genuine question mark, and explains why someone with his offensive upside may still be available at No. 20.
Buffalo is in a position where it can swing for the fences, and Klepov is exactly the type of potentially dynamic NHL scoring threat who makes sense for the organization right now.
No. 45 (Round 2): Ryan Roobroeck, F, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
Hype around Roobroeck has started to regain steam in recent weeks, so it wouldn't be a total shock if he ends up sneaking into the latter stages of Round 1. Somewhere closer to the No. 50 mark has been the general consensus for most of the draft process, though.
The 6-foot-4 center looked like a budding superstar when he posted 87 points (41 goals and 46 assists) in 64 games for the IceDogs in 2024-25. His scoring rate dipped this season (58 points in 49 contests), which caused the buzz to fade a bit despite still putting up more than a point per game.
He's not the most dynamic play-creator, and his skating needs some work to reach an NHL standard, but his combination of size, fearlessness around the net and wicked shot gives him a solid chance to eventually carve out a middle-six role in Buffalo or elsewhere.
No. 124 (Round 4): Ola Palme, LHD, Vaxjo Lakers HC (SHL)
Palme is a dart throw based on his impressive skating ability. He's flashed the potential to become a breakout machine and he can effortlessly join the rush. It hasn't translated into consistently strong production while working his way through Sweden's youth system, though.
The left-shot blueliner spent most of this season with the Lakers' U20 squad in the J20 Nationell, putting up 14 points (five goals and nine assists) in 20 games. He also received a five-game cup of coffee with Vaxjo in the SHL, but failed to find the scoresheet.
Palme is the type of prospect where you let him continue to develop in Sweden for a few more seasons and hope he's then ready to make the jump to the AHL's Rochester Americans. The tools are there, but it's going to take some time to see whether it translates into future NHL success.
No. 156 (Round 5): Max Isaksson, F, Vaxjo Lakers HC (SHL)
Sticking with Vaxjo players, Isaksson showed a lot of promise at the U20 level this season, racking up 28 points (an evenly balanced 14 goals and 14 assists) in 30 games. He was also far less of a defensive liability compared to his play in the J20 Nationell the prior campaign.
The 18-year-old center failed to stand out for Sweden at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship this spring, however, which was his chance to rise up draft boards. It's just not clear whether he has that next gear to transform himself into a future NHL player.
Isaksson's outlook is quite similar to Palme. See if he can separate himself from the youth ranks this season to earn a full-time role in the SHL, Sweden's top division. Doing so would put him on a much firmer path toward making the jump to North American hockey in the coming years.
No. 188 (Round 6): Frantisek Poletin, G, Pelicans U20 (SM-Sarja)
The Sabres' goaltending depth chart is likely to receive a shake up this summer. Formerly prized prospect Devon Levi probably has one foot out the door as he seeks an NHL opportunity via trade, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could also be on the move if Buffalo lands a veteran netminder.
So, drafting a goalie late makes sense to restock the cupboard. It's such a tough position to project over extended time periods, so you're essentially drafting traits. Poletin is already 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds at 17 years old, which creates quite a bit of intrigue.
He's yet to handle an extensive workload, but he did play well for the Pelicans at the U20 level this season, registering a .911 save percentage in 13 games. It's impossible to make any definitive judgments with five-plus years of development runway still on the horizon, though.
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