Buffalo has two selections in the top 20 (#4 and #20 overall) in the first round on Friday.
The Buffalo Sabres are more heavily invested in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday than anyone expected, as GM Jarmo Kekalainen flipped defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago for the fourth overall pick, a 2026 second round pick, and defenseman Louis Crevier. The Sabres now have two picks in the top 20, after another blueline deal involving Michael Kesselring allowed Buffalo to move up seven slots.
The question now before Kekalainen and his scouting staff is what direction do they go with their top pick. Do they select one of the impressive crop of defensemen expected to be selected in the top 10, do they go first off the board with a center, or does Kekalainen swing for the fences and deal the fourth overall pick for an established player who can help them recover from the losses of Tuch and Byram.
At this point, it appears almost certain that the top two picks will be winger Gavin McKenna by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ivar Stenberg by the San Jose Sharks. Vancouver is picking third and the chatter has shifted back and fourth between them taking head coach Manny Malhotra’s son Caleb or one of the top defensemen (Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, Alberts Smits, Carson Carels). In a premium position such as fourth overall and with the likelihood that they will not be drafting this high in the foreseeable future, the Sabres cannot afford to make a mistake and need to take the best player available, regardless of position.
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Option 1 - Replenish the blueline
If the Canucks take Malhotra, the Sabres will have their pick of the defensive litter, which is not a bad place to be since many believe this is the best stockpile of blueliners at the top of the draft since 2008 (Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn, Zach Bogosian, Tyler Myers, Erik Karlsson). The argument against this is that they already have two first overall picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power in the fold, Mattias Samuelsson coming off a career year, and 2025 ninth overall pick Radim Mrtka a year or two away.
Option 2 - Take the top center
If Vancouver selects Reid or Verhoeff, the Sabres could still take a defenseman if their top rated one is still on the board, but the temptation would be to take Malhotra, who played for OHL Brantford last season and is heading to Boston University next fall. The argument against this is that Buffalo is loaded with young centers in Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, to go along with veterans Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris. Some of these centers can move to the wing, but there appears to be more depth up the middle than there is on the blueline.
Option 3 - Trade the #4
“I've told all the teams that have inquired about the #4 pick, that we're just going to listen for now, take notes, and see what they think is the value of #4. We value that very highly ourselves.” Kekalainen said on Wednesday. “We know there's a great prospect available there, that's going to be two, three years away, or maybe even more, before they can make an impact on our team. We want to keep getting better as a team. We had an exciting year, but still disappointing at the end, but we'll gather that information around the league and see what the values, and if we don't think it's as much as making the pick, then we'll make the pick.”
Clearly, the willingness is there on the part of the Sabres GM to make a big move to help recover from the losses of Tuch and Byram, but the move of the fourth overall would have to have a major impact. Names like Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck or Rangers center Vincent Trocheck have been rumored, but each of them would have to be asking out from Columbus, Winnipeg, and New York, and would have to be willing to come to Buffalo.
The chatter surrounding Toronto winger Matthew Knies has been popular fodder, but Leafs GM John Chayka was reportedly asking for more than what Buffalo got for Byram from Chicago, and it would likely take a significant piece besides the #4 (like Konsta Helenius to make such a deal happen.
To fill the hole on the wing or on the blueline, it could be more of a fit for Kekalainen to move the 20th overall pick, which might be enough for a rebuilding team like Vancouver to move a winger like Jake DeBrusk, or Toronto to deal right-handed defenseman Brandon Carlo.
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