Sabres trade back in the first round of the draft to acquire an additional second-round pick (2024)

LAS VEGAS – As soon as the NHL draft lottery concluded in May, Buffalo Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams began to call teams to gauge how much it would cost to trade up in the first round and how much he could acquire if he moved back.

Those conversations eventually led to the Sabres making their first trade of draft week Thursday, as Adams moved back in the first round by sending the No. 11 pick to the San Jose Sharks for No. 14 and a second-round selection, No. 42 overall.

The move gave the Sabres nine picks in the NHL draft, which begins with the first round Friday night at The Sphere in Las Vegas and concludes Saturday with rounds two through seven. They may not select that many players, though. Adams is still shopping the 14th pick to try to upgrade his NHL roster, and he’s informed teams that he’d move either of Buffalo’s second-round selections for the right player.

“Any trade that we’ve potentially looked at or talked about, there could still be the same trade there at 14,” Adams told reporters Thursday afternoon at Wynn Las Vegas. “That’s part of the thought process as well. But it doesn’t mean we’re done here. We’re going to actively look. This pick’s available if makes sense for us. We have assets to move back up. We could move down. We just felt this one made sense.”

The trade, Adams explained, does not impact the quality of prospect the Sabres will draft if they do not move the 14th pick. Analysts who scout draft-eligible players agree that the first round is deep with talent, particularly between picks No. 7 and 20. Buffalo can still add a high-upside center, goal-scoring winger or two-way defenseman. But this also gives Adams flexibility to trade one or multiple draft choices if there’s an opportunity to acquire a high-end player like Carolina Hurricanes winger Martin Necas, a restricted free agent who’s been linked to the Sabres.

The Sabres also could trade into the back half of the first round if a player they like falls. They tried to move up for Jiri Kulich and Anton Wahlberg in 2022 and 2023, respectively, but ended up with both players after they were unable to complete a deal. The club’s approach to draft week has shifted following a 13th consecutive year outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Though strengthening the prospect pipeline remains a priority to ensure the Sabres have young players on entry-level contracts contributing in the future, it’s time for Adams to use his assets to position his team to win. Trading down Thursday does not guarantee that he’ll be able to acquire the player that he wants, but it gives him an opportunity to improve his offers to other teams.

“We need to be a team that’s competitive getting in the playoffs and fighting for those opportunities to do what we need to do here, which is win a Stanley Cup,” he said. “So, we’re willing to look at anything and everything that makes us better. And I think you always, in this job, are going to do that, but just with now that we’ve built up the assets and the opportunities, we’re actively trying.”

Waiting game

Jeff Skinner remains with the Sabres despite the NHL’s buyout window opening Thursday morning. It’s unclear if that will remain the case after this weekend, though. They have until the end of Sunday to decide whether to buy out the final three years of his contract, which counts $9 million against the salary cap each season.

The Sabres would have Skinner on their salary cap for six seasons, albeit at a reduced rate, but it would create $7.55 million in space for them to spend in 2024-25. The 32-year-old winger doesn’t seem interested in waiving his no-movement clause to approve a trade elsewhere, though.

“There’s been honest communication, but no indication that that’s something they’re willing to look at,” Adams said. “But all you can do is just have honest conversations and explain certain situations that could be out there, and we’ve done that. But yeah, I wouldn’t say there’s been any sort of traction or movement.”

Corresponding move

Adams all but confirmed that the Sabres are waiting to see if they can complete another trade before they decide to buy out Skinner. They may need another top-six winger if they decide to part ways with an accomplished goal-scorer who produced a career-high 82 points in 2022-23.

We may not know until Sunday after the draft is completed whether Skinner is going to be with the Sabres.

“Basically, as we look at this, weighing everything, what are potential trades that we think help our team get better?” said Adams. “If we made a move, where does Jeff slot in our lineup? Jeff’s been an elite scorer in this league for a long time, but if he’s not playing a top-line, top-minute type role, where do you slot a player like that? So, those are all the things we’re kind of weighing. But, like I said, we’re heavily in those conversations internally and externally and we still have time to make our final decision.”

Pick upgraded

Adams lauded former Sabres captain Kyle Okposo for his Stanley Cup victory Monday night with the Florida Panthers. By virtue of Florida’s win, the conditional seventh-round pick the Sabres acquired when trading Okposo in March has become a fifth-rounder.

“I was really happy for Kyle Okposo. On a personal level, I believe he gave a lot to the Buffalo Sabres organization that will benefit our guys for years to come,” Adams said. “I remember (while playing for Carolina in 2006) when Ron Francis sat on one side, then you had Eric Staal, and then you had Rod Brind’Amour. And I remember thinking about what Eric Staal was learning at 18 years old from Ron Francis and Rod Brind’Amour. And Eric Staal went on to play close to 20 years in the NHL.

“What Kyle Okposo was able to do in his time in our organization ... I can give you 10-15 names, but you know them already. All those young guys in our lineup the last 2-3 years, he made an impact on, so that’s a big deal.”

Adams said Okposo’s victory reminded him of his own championship with the Hurricanes in 2006.

“I’m fortunate enough to know how special feeling that is so I was happy for him,” Adams said. “And I was also happy that we got a little better pick out of it.”

Center market

The lack of centers on the free-agent and trade markets will make it challenging for the Sabres to find a replacement for Casey Mittelstadt.

Vegas’ Chandler Stephenson is the best available free agent at the position, but he’s likely to pick a proven contender. The cost to trade for someone with his or Mittelstadt’s skill set won’t be cheap, either.

“It’s an area that is not easy to acquire and we talked a lot about that before we made the Casey Mittelstadt trade, to be honest with you,” said Adams. “We felt that if we trade Casey Mittelstadt, we’re going to be in a position where, ‘OK where are we up the middle?’ I do get excited about Peyton Krebs’ game, where we believe he can get to. We have prospects in our system, but we also want to figure out how we’re a better team now, so we’re kind of balancing that. It’s a good question because there aren’t a lot of centers out there.”

News sports columnist Mike Harrington contributed to this story.