Sabres Have Options on Draft Day

Hockey season came to a halt sooner than most Sabres fans probably would have liked this year. While the NHL Playoffs rage on, the Buffalo Sabres are anticipating one of the most eventful off-seasons in recent memory as new owner Terry Pegula brings his winning attitude and deep pockets to the table.

And so I thought: while we’re stuck watching the remainder of the tournament as the Sabres sit idle (assuming most of you are over the first-round disappointment to the whiners, uh.. I mean, Flyers, after witnessing their brutal demise in round two — which almost certainly eased the pain), Buffalo hockey fans could use a little something to preview what is likely to come this summer.

Me being the nice guy that I am, decided I’d put together just that. Over the next week or so, I will discuss the many decisions the Sabres could — and likely will — consider this summer, beginning with the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The Sabres currently hold the 16th overall selection in the first-round. This means the Blue and Gold will be in an interesting spot come draft day on June 25th. This year’s group of prospects — although seemingly talented up front — is widely considered to be a “weak” class depth wise and is incredibly top-heavy.

With that said, it is very likely that when the Sabres pick rolls around, the talent remaining could well be considered late-first or early-second round worthy picks in most other drafts. In short, if the Sabres hold on to the pick they will likely be drafting a second round talent with their mid-first round pick.

It is this reason that I believe trading out of this pick would be the best option for the Sabres especially if they are able to parlay an additional pick or player out of the deal from a willing trade partner. Out of everything I’ve heard and read thus far, my favorite option for the Sabres is one laid out by HockeyBuzz.com and Ottawa Senators blogger Travis Yost, which is as follows: 

OTT gets:
1st-round pick(16th Overall)
3rd-round pick(76th Overall)

BUF gets:
Nick Foligno, LW
2nd-round pick(36th Overall)
3rd-round pick(66th Overall)

Would Buffalo move back nineteen spots for Nick Foligno? What if Ottawa dangled another one of their second or third-round picks? Does the deal sound sweeter for the B-Lo now?

Essentially, the Senators move the Sabres up ten spots in the third-round – a very minimal upgrade – and flip a LW with 40+ point potential and a strong second round pick for a middle first-round pick.

The Senators fill a void and keep their draft status within reasonable strength, but more importantly get to go out and fill that glaring void down the middle. Now, the team has a ton of flexibility with two picks in the first sixteen.

Foligno is a very solid third-line winger with 20-goal potential in the NHL. Although he hasn’t really lived up to his draft selection thus far (28th overall in ’06), the first son of former Sabre great Mike Foligno and older brother to Sabres prospect Marcus Foligno would likely be a great fit in Lindy Ruff’s system.

The change of scenery could bring out the best in the Buffalo native, who is still very young at 24 and has good upside. He is very accountable on the defensive end as well, an area that Ruff values immensely. The Senators might see this as giving up too much for the 16th overall pick but they are certainly in all-out rebuilding mode and I think would welcome the chance to add another high draft choice into the fold.

This scenario doesn’t only have to play out with the Sens. I would welcome any sort of trade out of the 16th slot that would bring a top-half second round choice and a good third line player with upside in return. The Sabres need to win now.

Franchise player Ryan Miller isn’t getting any younger and the team’s window of opportunity is slowly closing. Sabres fans should not be afraid to give up a few draft picks or un-proven prospects if they can return a good player who is ready stand out and help this team now.

So what if the Sabres decide they wish to remain at the 16th slot in the draft?

They obviously will be looking to take the best player available — regardless of position — especially since their current influx of young talent should see the NHL roster next season or be traded away, a sign that the team doesn’t have too many glaring holes within the organization. It would be time for the Sabres to begin re-stocking  their farm system. Here are five prospects I could see the Sabres pulling the trigger on provided they are still on the board at 16:

C Boone Jenner, Oshawa (OHL)- This would be my favorite pick for the Sabres (no, not just because he has a sweet hockey name). Jenner is a big power forward type player who is hard to move off the puck. He is young at only 17 so he still has a lot of development to do, but teams built for success now have the luxury to mold a player like Jenner over time. I love that the kid commands the puck when he’s on the ice and if all goes as planned, I could see him developing into one of the league’s premier big men down the line.

RW Tyler Biggs, USA 18U (USHL)- Another big guy with a cool name (could you think of a more perfect name for a power forward?), but he’s more than just a big body. Biggs skates pretty well and also possesses good leadership qualities. Again, this would be more of a developmental player with a high ceiling as most players are midway through the first round.

The Sabres obviously lack forwards with big bodies and despite prospects Zack Kassian and Luke Adam likely making their way into the fold in the near future, the Sabres still could use more guys who use their size as a strength.

C Zack Phillips, Saint John (QMJHL)- Phillips is a good prospect in a lot of ways. The kid has come a long way  and put up very nice numbers (95 points in 67 games) in the QMJHL. He has really good hands and his skating ability is also pretty good. Unlike the last two, Phillips is not a big body, but he’s not small either. I see Phillips as a guy who has potential to develop into a second or third-line center in the league at the very least. To me, this would be good value for a guy who has so much scoring upside — especially since the Sabres are so thin down the middle.

RW Ty Rattie, Portland (WHL)- Rattie certainly has the potential to become a top-6 forward in the NHL one day, which would be a nice value for the Sabres if he’s there at 16. Despite being slightly undersized, he played at a point-per-game pace for most of the season for Portland. Rattie is very skilled at creating scoring chances and is equally as good at finishing off those opportunities. I could see Rattie developing into a Tyler Ennis type of player for the Sabres with 30+ goal seasons a real possibility.

D Joe Morrow, Portland (WHL)- It might be a bit surprising that I only listed one defenseman here seeing as the Sabres biggest weakness is arguably at the position but I feel a lot of the best D-men will have already been taken before the Sabres get to pick. With that said, Joe Morrow might be the steal of the draft in my opinion. He is an offensive-minded D-man who can effectively quarterback a power play with his smooth skating and great passing abilities. He is a smart player who consistently plays big minutes for his team and would be a very nice prospect for the Sabres to get their hands on.

Obviously this is all based upon the assumption that some of the players who are more highly rated than the ones I have listed are off the board by the time the Sabres pick at 16.

With all that said, my ultimate opinion on the matter would be for the Sabres to trade out of this spot and who knows, maybe one of the prospects I mentioned above will fall to them in the second round. That would be best case scenario for a team that will be looking to improve immediately rather than waiting around for talent that is “on its way”.

Either way, I’m sure Darcy Regier and Mr. Pegula have already begun forming the blueprints for a plan to make the Sabres a serious contender — a plan that will likely begin to play out come draft day. Let me know what you think the best way to go with the 16th pick would be.

Here is Travis Yost’s post: Will Buffalo and Ottawa Make Some Trade Noise at the Draft?

*This article was originally featured on TheHockeyWriters.com

Follow Brandon on Twitter for more intelligent insight on the Sabres @GoldSchlager23

6 COMMENTS


    Login with
    or as guest:
    Comments: 6
    Sort by newest 
  • 0
    aquta
    Some thoughts on this post: 1. While I think Foligno would be great here, until the Sabres dump a left wing they have absolutely 0 need for a new player. In fact they have too many wingers at the NHL level right now. If they do bring him in I won't be disappointed, but it seems unlikely. 2. Tyler Biggs is not a 1st round prospect. He would be someone I would definitely like to see drafted by the Sabres but if they take him in the 1st round I will be very disappointed. 3. Ty Rattie is an interesting proposition, but I would probably pass on him at #16. He's just too small for my tastes. 4. No player at #16 overall is going to play in Buffalo this season. These players will not make the club for at least another 2 years. That being said drafting a defenseman is ridiculous. Unless they are simply too good to pass up, the Sabres will not be going defense in the 1st round. They just have too many defensemen in the pipeline. Getting centers and left wingers will be the priority here. Therefore the only defenseman I would even consider at 16 is Jamie Oleksiak and that's because he's 6'7". 5. There are some players out there that should really be considered: Mark Scheifele C 6'3" 200 Barrie (OHL) - My favorite choice in this year's draft Mark McNeill C 6'2" 210 Prince Albert (WHL) - If Scheifele isn't there I would love this guy Mika Zibanejab 6'1" 195 Djurgarden (SEL) - Will likely be gone by the time the Sabres pick, but I would move up a bit to grab him as high as #10 Ryan Strome C 6'1" Niagara (OHL) - A reasonable prospect that could be just what Buffalo needs in the system Brandon Saad LW 6'1" Saginaw (OHL) - Has fallen lately but could be a good value if others are taken in front of him Matt Puempel LW 6' 190, Petersborough (OHL) - Same issue as Zibanejab
    • 0
      @GoldSchlager23reply to aquta
      I agree with most of what you said. As for Biggs, at the time this post was written for THW Biggs had a first-round grade and in my opinion he still does, it's just no longer mid-first, now it's more like late-first. It would be nice if he fell to the Sabres in round 2. Many of the prospects you mentioned are right on but the players I listed were based on the belief they wouldn't be available come 16 (Zibanejab, Strome, Puempel). I am a huge fan of McNeill and Scheifele though as well. I agree they absolutely shouldn't go D and likely won't go wing unless it's a BPA situation. In my opinion the Sabres need to go center if they do indeed keep their 1st pick and either one of those guys, along with Phillips would be phenomenal picks. As for Foligno, the Sabres could really use a young, hard-nosed guy like that even if he is at wing, he brings leadership and he has a ton of upside even still. He would be a great asset for the Sabres when it comes time to part with Hecht and especially if Grier hangs it up. Foligno is a very solid all-around player who Lindy would love on his team.
  • 0
    Todd
    Buffalo needs some toughness. Kassian, McCormick and Goose bring it. they can all score 15-20 if they have the right linemates. A top centerman, winger and defenseman are what the Sabres need and they can win the cup. Dump Hecht, Connolly, Boise and Greir. That opens up some money. You got 2 good goalies and a good defense. I guess we will see in the next month if Mr. P. really is serious on getting the cup to Buffalo.
  • 0
    Fred
    Remember folks, to win a cup you need 3 lines that can add to the offense and you need scoring from the defense, just check out the Hawks roster when they won and the 40 teams that won before that. Even if the top 6 forwards for Buffalo all score 30 goals each that is only 180 goals, the 3rd line has to score some goals, hecht, goose, McCormick are not what is needed, Kassian is not going to be an NHL scorer, don't be so quick to pencil him onto the roster, the kid needs to learn how to skate, he is slower than a sea turtle. The object of the game is to score more goals than the other team and the last 5 Stanley Cup winners all were higher scoring teams usually top 3 in scoring with great pps, Buffalo needs to add scoring not just large players who can't skate.
  • 0
    Matt
    Before we pick up any new wingers on the left side we need to get rid of Hecht and his 3.5 million cap hit, Foligno is a good idea. For some reason Lindy Ruff seems to think Hecht is a top 6 forward, he's done zero for buffalo in any playoff year. I would move up for a top 5-10 pick if I could. Darcy is Mr Safe though, he doesn't have the guts to make a move and trade one of his amazing AHL prospects.
    • 0
      @GoldSchlager23reply to Matt
      Trading up into the top-10 this year is a risky proposition. The talent level in the top-10 in the first round isn't all that far apart from top-10 of the second round this year. While you have a better chance of hitting on a top player by trading up, trading down allows the Sabres to obtain even more picks (or players in the Foligno scenario), increasing their chances in to later rounds or to improve the team immediately, which is exactly what the Sabres need to do this offseason. Regier and his staff have done very well finding talent in late rounds (Miller, Roy, Gerbe, Adam, McNabb, Foligno). It would only be worth it trading up into the top 1 or 2 picks in the draft this year, and even that comes with its fair share of risks.
[td_block_social_counter facebook="BuffaloHockeyCentral" twitter="BHCdotcom" custom_title="Follow BHC:" header_color="#002654" open_in_new_window="y"]