The Sabres defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The Sabres have kept their winning ways going as they snag another win against a soon-to-be playoff team.
As this Sabres team begins to gel and put things together before the end of the year, will this ruin their draft placement for the 2025 Draft? Back at the end of January, there were only two teams worse than the Sabres: the Sharks and Blackhawks.
The Sabres were looking towards next season, as 45-50 games in, they were basically out of it. As it stands now, the Sabres are now above 8 teams and may not even get a top-10 pick at this point.
It seems like the Sabres do this almost every year, once they know they are out of playoff contention, they start to play their best hockey of the year and climb up the standings. However, I think having a high draft pick could be important for the Sabres. Look at Noah Ostlund who the Sabres just called up, he was a 2022 first-round pick, as the Sabres got that pick in the Jack Eichel trade.
There are some solid players in this year's draft, and if the Sabres were to make the playoffs, this future player could be on the roster.
Top 3 projected picks
As the Sabres fall farther down the draft board, lets take a look at some of the talent that they might miss out on.
James Hagens
Hagens spent this year with Boston College who was arguably the best team in the country at one point. Hagens put up 11 goals, and 26 assists to go along with an impressive plus-minus of +21.
Hagens currently is projected as the number one overall pick, if the Sabres had stayed at the bottom of the East, they would have had a legitimate shot at drafting him.
Matthew Schaefer
Schaefer would have been the most realistic selection for the Sabres as he is the top rated defenseman in the draft. With the Erie Otters of the OHL this season, Schaefer has been fantastic is a small assortment of games.
In 17 games, he has posted seven goals and 15 assists for a total of 22 points. Averaging over a point a game, and a plus-minus of +21. With a questionable Sabres defense, Shaefer could be a good piece for them in a few years.
Michael Misa
Misa is another top center who would have fallen to the Sabres at the three spot possibly if they had climbed up the standings.
He had one of the best seasons for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL in a long time. In 65 games, Misa had 62 goals and 72 assists for a total of of 134 points. Misa has been looked at as the possible top pick, but it seems Hagens is more NHL ready than Misa at the moment.
However, I think Misa is the top player in this draft. At just 18 years old, there isnt a better player that you can develop at the one spot than Misa. His ability to not only score, but move without the puck to create offense makes him a top player in the game.
Final Thoughts
Its nice to see the Sabres winning games don’t get me wrong, but there comes a point that when you know your out of it, you have to think about next season. The Sabres have been out playoff contention for awhile, but were just recently eliminated. I think this Sabres team is ready to run things back next year, and having a top pick at their disposable would be an incredible tool fpr this team.