Could the Sabres end up adding a big winger to their prospect pool with this year's first-round pick?
The Buffalo Sabres still have their first-round pick with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft being a little over a month away. With the Sabres taking a big step forward this season, it is certainly possible that they could trade their 2026 first-round pick for immediate help.
However, if the Sabres decide to hold on to their first-rounder, they will be looking to land a good prospect with it.
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman recently released a new mock draft, where they predicted all the picks for the first and second rounds. When it came to the Sabres, Wheeler predicted that the Sabres would select left winger Gleb Pugachyov with their first-round pick.
Pugachyov is certainly an interesting prospect. The first thing that stands out is his size, as he stands in at 6-foot-3. With this, he would have the potential to give the Sabres another solid power forward in their prospect pool, which not be a bad thing.
Pugachyov played in his 13 career KHL games this season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, where he recorded two goals, one assist, eight penalty minutes, and a plus-7 rating. He also had one goal and five points in 15 VHL games this season.
Pugachyov spent the bulk of the season in the MHL with Chaika Nizhny Novgorod, however, where he recorded 10 goals and 24 points in 33 regular-season games. He also had two goals, seven points, and 21 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games for the MHL squad.
With this, Pugachyov has shown some promise and could be a fascinating prospect for the Sabres to bring in with their first-round pick. It will be interesting to see if they do just that from here.