One week ago at this time, the Buffalo Sabres weren't expecting to pick in the Top 10. That all changed once they completed the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, which included the fourth overall pick. The Sabres would end up picking Daxon Rudolph, who they didn't even talk to at the Scouting Combine, and met with the defenseman for the first time on Friday morning.
After the first round, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen met with the media and the first question was about this fact. The Sabres' general manager made it clear that it didn't influence his opinion and has a lot of trust in the scouting department.
"It didn't influence our decision," Kekalainen said. "Obviously, the situation changed a lot from the Combine because we were thinking of picking at 27, and then we were picking four. So rather than wasting time with some of the people that we're running from interview to interview, and we're so far down that we know that we're not going to get them."
He talked about the fact that the Combine interviews are just 15 minutes and are really just to put a face to a name. The scouting they do throughout the year is what really matters.
"Our area scouts are doing the interviews throughout the season to know the background of the player. They know him inside and out, so the 15 minutes is just a chance for the whole staff to get to know him and put a face to a name. So that's why we called him and had him come to our office this morning."
Buffalo Sabres seemingly knew early on that Daxon Rudolph was going to be their pick
While there was a small chance Ivar Stenberg or Caleb Malhotra would slip to the Sabres at four, the Sabres seemed convinced hours before the NHL Draft who their pick was going to be. That player was going to be Daxon Rudolph, and ahead of some of the more popular defensemen prospects like Chase Reid.
At the time, it certainly was a surprise, but in actuality, the pick makes a lot of sense. Rudolph is a dynamic offensive defenseman, and the Sabres expect their defensemen to chip in a lot in that part of the ice. He should have no problem with that after 78 points in 68 regular-season games and 27 in 19 games.
Jarmo Kekalainen made it clear that even with the depth at defense, they always draft the best player available. However, best player available could mean something for different teams, and it really should be 'best player available who fits our style'. In that case, Daxon Rudolph was the correct pick.
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