Kevyn Adams is one of the general managers to watch at the NHL draft Thursday and Friday in Montreal.
The Buffalo Sabres own 11 picks overall, including three in the first round, and have the salary cap space to acquire help for the NHL roster through a trade at the draft.
It seems unlikely Adams would make a blockbuster move, but he has the draft capital to move up to select a player high on the Sabres' board or trade back to acquire future picks.
Mock drafts are wide-ranging for what Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, predicted will be one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent history.
But that didn't stop Mike Harrington and Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News from weighing in on five burning questions ahead of the draft:
Who do you take with the ninth overall pick?
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Harrington: Seattle defenseman Kevin Korchinski. The Sabres reiterated Thursday they're going best available regardless of position and it seems all kinds of possibilities could happen at the top of this draft. My feeling is the top forwards they would be most interested in such as Winnipeg center Matthew Savoie and Swedish winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki will be gone by this spot, and that's OK. The pipeline is suddenly awfully thin on defense, especially with Ryan Johnson uncertain to sign and Oskari Laaksonen taking a step back this year in Rochester. Korchinski is 6-foot-2 and can really skate. Can't have enough guys like that on your back end.
Lysowski: Matthew Savoie of the Winnipeg Ice. Yes, Savoie is a 5-foot-9 center, but the game has changed. Players his size are having remarkable success in the NHL and he’s arguably one of the most exciting talents in this draft. Savoie has a tantalizing combination of quick hands, elite skating and a shot that’s capable of beating NHL goalies now. He plays a responsible two-way game with a high motor. You won’t see him giving up on plays. He would be a strong addition to a prospect pool that will soon graduate Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka. The Sabres have a greater need on defense, but they’re going best player available here. If Savoie is off the board, winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki would be my pick.
Do the Sabres keep all three picks in the first round?
Harrington: Absolutely. The Sabres need to keep stocking the shelves. Remember, they only had five draft picks in 2020 and six apiece from 2017 to 2019. This could make consecutive years of 11 picks and the first trio in the first round since 1983. Make some trades in the later rounds if you want but revel in the huge luck that the Vegas pick you acquired for Jack Eichel is No. 16 instead of the 28-32 range you figured it might be.
Lysowski: Yes, they’ll keep all three. There won’t be an NHL player, particularly a goalie, available via trade who is worth a first-rounder at this point in the offseason. The Sabres are more likely to move a pick or two in a later round, perhaps as early as the second, to add help for their roster. This organization still needs more high-end prospects. Remember, Adams had only five picks in his first draft in 2020, though he managed to select Quinn and Peterka. I can see them moving No. 28 for the right price, but the higher picks are too valuable.
What position would you acquire by trading one of the first-round draft picks and which of the three would you deal?
Harrington: Sorry, everyone out there. No. 9 isn't for sale. No. 16 probably isn't, either. The thinking here is Adams would be willing to listen to bids on No. 28 for a solid right-shot defenseman. Doubt there's a goalie out there worth a first-round pick and you would hope Adams would heed the hard lesson Tim Murray learned when he traded No. 21 for Robin Lehner in 2015. Don't have to do that to get a goalie. Lots out there.
Lysowski: Goalie. The Sabres need another defenseman, particularly a right-handed shot, but not enough to move a first-rounder, even No. 28. Their analytics department can find value at that position in free agency. Goaltending, on the other hand, will have to be added in the trade market because top free agents are likely to sign elsewhere and yes, the Sabres need two. I’d move the No. 28 pick in package to acquire the right goalie. There aren’t any viable candidates worth that price tag, though. John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks has no-trade protection and is expected to move to a contender, if he’s traded this summer. The more likely scenario is Buffalo moves a mid- or late-round pick to acquire someone such as Adin Hill of the San Jose Sharks.
Should the Sabres trade winger Victor Olofsson, a restricted free agent, given his contract status and the arrivals of wingers Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka?
Harrington: Not this year. At least not until the trade deadline. They have eons of cap space and you don't have to rush Quinn on to the wing and to Olofsson's slot on the power play if you keep the sweet-shooting Swede. Clearly, you're going to have to make a decision long-term on Olofsson at some point, and you wonder how much Adams recoiled at Los Angeles giving Kevin Fiala a seven-year extension at $7.875 million per season after acquiring him Wednesday from Minnesota.
Did you know alert: Fiala is averaging 0.2959 goals per game in his 419-game career. Olofsson is nearly identical at 0.2925 goals for his first 188 games. Bet his agent knows that.
Lysowski: Absolutely not. This is probably a move they’re going to make in the not-so-distant future. Olofsson’s role will eventually be taken by Quinn, Peterka and Isak Rosen. You’re not going to sign Olofsson long-term at a higher price tag when he’s probably not going to be in the top six in a few years. But the Sabres have the cap space and positional need to make Olofsson’s contract a priority right now. He scored 20 goals despite playing through a wrist injury and became a playmaking threat. Remarkably, he’s only played one full NHL season. Sign him to a two- or three-year contract and figure the rest out later.
Given the uncertainty of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and other goalies, should they draft one?
Harrington: Yes, and it really has nothing to do with anyone they have in their system. Sure, you don't know how Luukkonen is going to pan out or if Erik Portillo is even going to sign. But at this point, the philosophical view is you should be taking one every year. Goalies are such a long-term play and you never know who will develop and who won't. If you think the Tampa Bay Lightning really knew what they were going to get in Andrei Vasilevskiy and the New York Rangers really knew what they would get in Igor Shesterkin, then I have a timeshare in Vegas to sell you. Get another goalie in the pipeline. You have 11 picks so you can afford to.
Lysowski: When you’re a team without a franchise goalie, you should be picking one every year, especially if you have the draft capital. The Sabres currently own 11 picks in this draft – they’re bound to move at least one of those – and, like last July, they’ll be able to take a prospect who won’t sign for a few years. Or maybe not at all. If they don’t take someone such as Finland's Topias Leinonen, who stands 6-foot-5, in the second round, use a later pick on a high-upside prospect such as Maxim Arefyev of Russia. You never hear a team complaining about having too many talented goalies in the pipeline. While the Sabres are better at the position with Devon Levi and Erik Portillo, both have yet to sign. It’s impossible to predict what the future holds for either prospect, so you need to add insurance.
