Top 5 defensemen prospects for Sabres fans to know about in the 2024 NHL Draft

Zeev Buium, LHD/Denver

Shai Buium is one of the better LHD prospects in the Detroit Red Wings pipeline, but the younger Buium could possess even more upside. Considering how much Shai improved throughout his three seasons at the University of Denver but still amassed under a point per game, Zeev could end up registering forward numbers as a blueliner.

This past season, he had 50 points and 11 goals in 42 contests, already eclipsing the point-per-game mark. As a result, he’s fourth overall in Pronman’s rankings and 10th at Tankathon - so if the latter proves to be the more accurate of the two on draft day, there is a very good chance Buium ends up in the Sabres system. 

At 6’0, 183 lbs, Buium also possesses decent size, and the only real knock is that he’s not fulfilling that immediate need for an RHD. But if Kevyn Adams wants to add another potential big-time scorer who could, in time, transform into something reminiscent of Rasmus Dahlin, Zeev Buium may be that player. 

This isn’t saying Buium has more upside than the Blue and Gold’s premier player - let’s not get too ambitious just yet - but his ceiling could eventually be a shade under Dahlin’s. Buium won’t play in the NHL right away as Dahlin did, or perhaps even directly following his next collegiate season, as in Owen Power’s case, but he would be worth waiting for.