The Buffalo Sabres haven't pulled off a blockbuster trade this summer but the organization is well equipped to handle some high-profile prospect departures if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen decides to take a bold swing at some point during the 2026-27 season.
Further evidence of that arrived Thursday when Nick Iacoban of Watch The Stats ranked the Sabres' farm system as the 10th-best group in the NHL.
"Buffalo's prospect pool is great," Iacoban wrote. "Their U24 core is even better with guys like [Zach] Benson, [Owen] Power, [Olen] Zellweger, [Noah] Ostlund, and [Jiri] Kulich added in. The Sabres had a very successful 2025-26 season, and it seems like it was just the start of an era full of great Sabres hockey."
Here were Iacoban's choices for the club's five best prospects ahead of the new campaign:
Rank | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Konsta Helenius | Forward |
2 | Daxon Rudolph | Defenseman |
3 | Ilia Morozov | Forward |
4 | Radim Mrtka | Defenseman |
5 | Olivers Murnieks | Forward |
Daxon Rudolph and Ilia Morozov were both selected by the Sabres in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and both immediately leapfrogged Radim Mrtka, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Konsta Helenius is the unquestioned choice for Buffalo's top prospect, though. The 20-year-old forward dominated the AHL ranks with the Rochester Americans last season, tallying 63 points (21 goals and 42 assists) in 63 games. He then joined the Sabres' lineup amid their second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, lighting the lamp twice in four postseason contests.
The Finland native will be given an opportunity throughout training camp to earn a full-time NHL role next season, and he has all the tools to become a longtime top-six fixture for the franchise.
Meanwhile, Olivers Murnieks already looks like a potential draft steal by Buffalo, which grabbed the Latvian center in the fourth round of this year's draft.
The promising group of prospects, which extends beyond those five developing players, combined with the Sabres' young NHL roster creates the foundation for long-term success.
Radim Mrtka is the Sabres prized prospect with the highest trade probability
If Buffalo trades one of its top prospects over the next 12 months, there's a pretty high likelihood Mrtka will be the one on the move.
Make no mistake, the 6-foot-6 defender still holds ample potential thanks to his combination of size, skating ability and a willingness to engage physically.
His offensive impact didn't make significant strides during his first post-draft season, however, and the Sabres have an overabundance of options on the blue line.
Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson are all locked in for the long haul and the front office has high hopes for a pair of 2026 offseason additions, Zellweger and Louis Crevier.
That hypothetically leaves just one spot on Buffalo's defensive depth chart, and the organization is hopeful Rudolph will be ready to take that spot sooner rather than later, perhaps as early as 2027-28.
So, Mrtka may become the odd man out, unless Zellweger and/or Crevier fail to step up during the upcoming campaign. He also still carries plenty of trade value as a top prospect, something Kekalainen can use to his advantage in his pursuit of a true No. 1 center.
In July, the 19-year-old Czechia standout admitted he's heard the trade speculation.
"I would say that's hockey business," Mrtka told reporters. "Either gonna be fine with it, or I don't know what else. It's just what it is in hockey, and I'm just fine with it."
That's not to say he's already got one foot out the door, of course. A lot can change over the course of a season. Maybe he'll take a major leap forward with the Amerks in 2026-27 and it'll lead Buffalo to consider alternatives to clear out its logjam on the blue line.
Ultimately, that's the benefit of a well-built prospect pool. The Sabres can either deal from a position of strength to upgrade another area of the roster, or it can retain a high-upside player like Mrtka and hope a major breakthrough eventually arrives.
Kekalainen has made it clear since taking over the front office in December that he's not going to seek out shortcuts when it comes to roster building. He's going to make sure Buffalo ends up in a situation where its championship window is open for as long as possible.
We'll probably find out within the next year what that means for Mrtka's future with the franchise.
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