The Buffalo Sabres made it clear that they were going to draft the best player available in the NHL Draft. They did just that with their fourth overall pick by selecting Daxon Rudolph, but now that raises questions of what that means for Radim Mrtka.
Mrtka was the ninth overall pick one year ago at the NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, but a lot has changed since then, most notably a new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. The Sabres' top defensemen prospect has seemingly been on the trading block ever since, and if Colton Parayko decided to waive his no-trade clause, Mrtka would be a member of the St. Louis Blues at this moment.
The Sabres' blueline, even with the trade of Bowen Byram, seems to be locked in for the foreseeable future. They have Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson as their top pair. Owen Power is the anchor on the second pair with the offseason additions of Louis Crevier and Olen Zellweger, competing for the spot next to him.
Jarmo Kekalainen's draft philosophy sets the Buffalo Sabres up to make a blockbuster trade
Meanwhile, Mrtka is probably still a season away from playing in the NHL, and if the Sabres want to get better now, this is probably the player they are including in trade discussions. On Friday night, Jarmo Kekalainen talked about why they always draft the best player available and how it might impact trade discussions.
"Always draft the best player available. That's our philosophy, and then if you have too many good defensemen, that's a great problem to have. There's going to be 31 teams calling me, and if they need a defenseman, they know who to call, and if we need a forward instead, we can make a trade."
For the Sabres, their willingness to include Radim Mrtka in trades is likely not because they believe he is a bad player. Rather, they are able to see that he doesn't have a path to the NHL over the next two seasons, the position is a strength for them, and they can move the prospect for a player who can help them win now.
The Buffalo Sabres general manager has made it clear over the past few weeks that he is willing to make trades, highlighted by the fact that he has already completed four this offseason. He didn't make any during the NHL Draft, but if the opportunity presents itself to make a blockbuster trade, it wouldn't at all be surprising if Radim Mrtka is in the trade package after the selection of Daxon Rudolph.
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