Zayne Parekh, RHD/London
If Kevyn Adams wanted to make a splash AND if the Sabres drew a top 10 pick, Zayne Parekh is the ideal selection among all right-handed defensemen. His overall size of 6’0, 181 lbs isn’t bad for an 18-year-old, and he still has time to grow further into his frame.
Parekh has also shown time and again that he can score like a forward. He found the net 21 times in 50 games in 2022-23 while putting up 37 points before he parlayed that into a 33-goal, 96-point performance this past season in 66 regular season matchups. Doing the math it shows us that Parekh put up 1.45 points for every game he played, and this isn’t counting the postseason in which he registered another eight, plus two goals in nine playoff games.
Corey Pronman of The Athletic compared Parekh to John Klingberg, and while the latter disappeared this past season, there is no denying that Klingberg was one of the better blueliners in the league for a while. Earlier in his career, Klingberg took sixth place for the Norris Trophy twice, and it implies what kind of player Parekh could become.
Finally, since the Sabres should no longer see the need to rush prospects, they will be more than okay with Parekh playing another two seasons with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit before he makes a jump to the AHL. Give him between three and four years, and Parekh will be ready to become an NHLer full-time.