3 first-round talents the Sabres can steal in Round 2 of the NHL Draft

No matter the sport and no matter the draft, we always see a contingent of players supposed to go in the first round fall to the second. And the 2024 NHL Draft will be no different, so since the Buffalo Sabres have a pick in the early-middle portion of the second round, there is a good chance they will land not one but two first-round-caliber talents on draft day if they keep their respective picks.

So, which players can be drafted toward the end of Round 1 who could end up falling into the middle part of the second round? Below, you’ll catch two forwards and one defenseman who can easily hear their names called on Friday night. But don’t be surprised if they’re still available on Saturday afternoon. 

Jett Luchanko, C/Guelph Storm

Jett Luchanko is a 17-year-old center whose size isn’t ideal, yet not quite a disadvantage at 5’11, 187 pounds. Since he still has a few more years of growing, it’s not farfetched to think he won’t put on at least another two or three inches and 10-15 pounds at minimum.

There also isn’t a single unfavorable trait about Luchanko on the surface, as terms like “workhorse” and “two-way player” are how he’s described on his Elite Prospects profile. If you want more fun, Sportsnet/Bukala has Luchanko ranked 12th overall, but as his Elite Prospects page indicates, most have a late-first, early-second-round grade on him. 

What I like most about Luchanko is his ability to adapt in 2023-24 following a 2022-23 season that definitely looked overwhelming. He finished the year racking up 46 games but scored just five goals and put up 14 points. Shift gears to the postseason and he had just one point in six games. 

This past year was met with a different outcome, as Luchanko’s 74 points in 68 games saw him improve from 0.31 points per game to 1.09 per. He also had 20 regular season goals and another three points in four playoff games. The more I learn about Luchanko, the more his play reminds me of Dylan Cozens’, one that ups the intensity when he’s on the ice but with more speed to his game. 

Aron Kiviharju, D/HIFK

Since injuries rocked him this past season, few players in the 2024 NHL Draft have been harder to judge, and Aron Kiviharju can go either way here. On one hand, there is always that team willing to take a chance on a player who had the worst luck with injuries leading up to his draft year. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if a contingent of teams won’t even consider Kiviharju because of his injuries. 

He’s also a smaller player at 5’10, 185 pounds, and his birthday, January 2006, isn’t an early one, so the odds are further stacked against Kiviharju. As with Jett Luchanko, the rankings for Kiviharju are all over the place, but to a greater degree, with his Elite Prospects profile showing us multiple outlets placing him in the 50s and even into the 60s. 

Still, Kiviharju is a first-round-caliber talent, and it’s something you see with a handful of outlets giving him either a first-round ranking or just barely outside the first. But if he drops to the Sabres in the second round, it should be tough for Kevyn Adams to pass on such a talented player who was supposed to spend all his time in Liiga this past season, even if he only managed seven games. 

Kiviharju, in U18, played in seven games and finished with one goal and six points, and he also appeared in six games for U20, racking up two assists. He’s more than proven he can dominate against players his own age and hold his own against those slightly older, and a breakout year in Liiga in 2024-25 is in store if he stays healthy.