It was a whirlwind season for Radim Mrtka after being selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the ninth overall pick in last year's NHL draft. He played two short stints with the Rochester Americans sandwiched around playing most of the 2025-26 campaign with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds.
Mrtka, a physically imposing 6-foot-6 defenseman, compiled a modest 34 points (one goal and 33 assists) in 43 games for the Thunderbirds. He also tallied just one point in eight outings with the Amerks, and went scoreless in five games with Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Now, after having a summer to catch his breath, the Sabres organization is hoping to see the 19-year-old blueliner make some marked improvements in 2026-27. He'll likely open the campaign in Rochester, where he'll be coached by Michael Leone.
Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald spoke with Leone, who noted Mrtka has "a lot of rare qualities" but must "get stronger" to maximize his impact at the pro level.
"I'm not saying he's never going to run a power play, but I don't think we drafted him to run the first-unit power play," Leone told Hoppe. "We drafted him to be a really good defender that has the ability to kill plays, be hard in front of his own net. I think when you look at those things, traits as a defenseman, it's the ability to shut down plays at the blue line, gap against speed surge. Can he surf and kill plays? Does he have ability to end plays in the corner? His stick detail, is he boxing out?"
Mrtka did make progress in the defensive zone with Seattle last season, but that was expected given his size and experience advantage over most WHL opponents. It'll be a whole new ballgame as he prepares to begin his AHL tenure with the Amerks.
The Sabres have terrific defensive depth, led by Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson, so there's no reason to rush the highly touted prospect. He could end up spending a couple years with in Rochester before being considered for a full-time NHL role.
It's also worth noting Mrtka's name has popped up in the rumor mill dating back to last season's trade deadline, which may happen again if Buffalo ends up making a push for a top-six forward at some point during the upcoming campaign.
Radim Mrtka faces uncertain Buffalo Sabres future after stagnant post-draft year
The Sabres have a crowded organizational depth chart on the blue line. Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson are all signed for at least four more seasons, while offseason acquisition Olen Zellweger signed a three-year contract extension after arriving from the Anaheim Ducks.
Louis Creiver, another summer arrival, will be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season and Daxon Rudolph, the No. 4 selection in this year's draft, is aiming to make a quick jump to the Sabres after one year at the University of Denver.
That alone is six defensemen, and it doesn't even include prospects like Maxim Strbak and Gavin McCarthy, who are both starting the first year of their entry-level contracts. In addition, Adam Kleber hasn't signed his ELC yet, but could make a swift push for NHL time once he does.
So, Buffalo is quite talent rich on defense and it's going to create a fierce battle for roster spots in the coming years.
It puts a lot of pressure on Mrtka to start living up to his high-end draft pedigree. His upside is enormous. Players with his combination of size, skating ability and physical edge are hard to find, and being a right-shot defender matches what the Sabres need.
Hypothetically, Buffalo's blue line could look something like this in a few years:
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | Mattias Samuelsson |
Owen Power | Daxon Rudolph |
Olen Zellweger | Radim Mrtka |
Mrtka may be worth more in a blockbuster trade for a game-changing forward than skating on the third pair, though.
That said, the Sabres aren't going to give him away for pennies on the dollar. He'll likely only be moved if the perfect offer comes along, preferably for a bona fide No. 1 center, which is one of the few missing pieces for an otherwise well-built roster.
It's a situation to watch closely over the next 12 months.
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