Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already made more moves than some front offices will all summer, and he's still got plenty of work left if the organization is going to keep pace in a loaded Eastern Conference next season.
The busy offseason continues Friday night with the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, which is being held at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo. The Sabres own the No. 4 and No. 20 overall picks, acquired in recent trades involving Bowen Byram (Chicago Blackhawks) and Michael Kesselring (San Jose Sharks), respectively.
Kekalainen confirmed in an interview with Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on Friday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast that he's willing to trade the fourth pick if the right offer comes along.
"I don't know if I'd wanna put odds on it but I've told everybody that we're open for business," the longtime NHL executive said. "We'd like to improve our team, so pick No. 4 for the right price could be available. Pick No. 20 could be available for the right price. Or a combination of the two if there's a player we value that much. But it would take a lot of us to move from pick No. 4 in particular. We're looking to get stronger."
He added: "We're ready to make a deal, and a big one too."
Although it's hard to argue with any of the trades the Sabres made so far — none of the players involved were expected to remain in Buffalo for the long haul; Byram wanted the opportunity to become a No. 1 defenseman, Kesselring sought guaranteed playing time and the front office wasn't going to meet Alex Tuch's contract demands — losing those three players does make the roster weaker at the moment.
In turn, there's real pressure on Kekalainen to use the franchise's impressive cache of young players, prospects and draft picks (along with the newly created salary-cap space) to find some game-changing talent before the start of next season.
Buffalo's to-do list includes a top-six forward, which would ideally be a first-line center, a second-pair defenseman to play alongside Owen Power and maybe a goalie. The Sabres have been heavily linked to Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in recent days.
If the Sabres move the No. 4 selection, it should almost surely be for a top-flight forward with a history of high-end offensive production. The Blue and Gold feature plenty of depth, but they could sorely use one more player capable of taking over a game.
Should a deal for that type of superstar not arise, there's nothing wrong with standing pat inside the top five and using their other assets, including No. 20 overall, to hunt on the trade market.
Who should the Buffalo Sabres select if they keep the draft's fourth choice?
The Sabres started the offseason with the No. 27 selection in Round 1, which made the draft pretty much an afterthought for casual fans. There was also some draft fatigue around Western New York after more than a decade straight of picking in the lottery.
Now, Buffalo is right back at the forefront of the draft proceedings.
The easiest route to take would be grabbing one of the class' top defensive prospects, a group headlined by Chase Reid and Carson Carels. They'd represent a future Byram replacement without an extended wait. In particular, Reid could be ready by the end of the 2026-27 season.
A lot of that depends on whether the Sabres view current top blueline prospect Radim Mrtka as part of their long-term core, or if he's more of a trade chip in the eyes of Jarmo Kekalainen. Mrtka was a rumored piece of the club's failed bid to land the St. Louis Blues' Colton Parayko at the trade deadline.
In the end, however, it feels like taking a center is the best course of action for Buffalo. Two names stick out from the crowd: Caleb Malhotra, who could go No. 3 to the Vancouver Canucks, and Viggo Bjorck.
Something about Bjorck makes him feel like a perfect fit.
The Sabres have been building their roster with compete level at its heart. That's why players like Zach Benson and Josh Doan have already earned long-term contract extensions from the front office. They're bulldogs who are always the hardest-working players on the ice.
Bjorck comes from the same mold. He was an undersized (5' 9'', 181 pounds) teenager playing against older, stronger professional opponents in the SHL (Sweden's top division) this season and, while his production was modest (15 points in 42 games), he never backed down.
The scoring pedigree is there from the junior ranks — 172 points in 78 games across the U18 and U20 levels from 2023 through 2025 — and his willingness to fight for every inch of ice with Djurgardens was a sight to behold.
A future line of Bjorck, Benson and Doan would be an absolute nightmare for opponents.
Ultimately, the Sabres find themselves in a strong position. If they're able to land that missing piece of their forward group by using the No. 4 pick in a trade, great. If they stand pat and select a prospect like Reid or Bjorck, the fanbase should be excited about that, too.
Buffalo finally looks like it's heading toward some sustained success after 14 years of misery finally ended with a playoff berth this season.
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