Value of: Sabres #1 round pick (unprotected) in 2025

[Benstheman]

RD is the hardest position to find. Maybe Andersson from Calgary could be an option. Not the biggest fan of him but he is about the only one I can think off of the top of my head.

Andersson is definitely not worth a top 5 right now.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

How do you have 3 1st OA picks on defense and still have a terrible defense?

How do you get 3 1OA

Andersson is definitely not worth a top 5 right now.

With one year of control, certainly not.

If it’s 1st overall maybe something around that+ Peterka and maybe Benson for Brock Faber? He’s a dman you win a cup with

Edit- yes definitely overpay in a vacuum but would Minnesota actually trade him for less? Not a fan of either team.

is Faber Bobby Orr?

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Did you read the OP? The point would be to get a player who helps now, not a collection of inferior prospects.

Yes, you actually get it. I'm only trading a top-five pick for an RD who can play now and is already established and on the way up. If we have to throw in more to get that, I'm in for that, too.

Some of the comments here miss the reality that the Sabres, although bad, are not a true bottom-five team in the league. Their goal differential makes that obvious. The team has given up 21 empty-net goals and scored 9. They are like 22nd in league for GD not factoring that in. UPL is a question mark and you can't be very good with a slightly below average goalie but there is absolutely no excuse for Buffalo having a terrible PP. Who knows what happens with Pegula, but a proper PP, even an average one, and they are in playoff discussion. And, yes, with all the picks they should be better than that. No argument. But years away from the playoffs. No. Minor tweaks and they are there. The question is really whether ownership keeps getting in the way.

 

[Great Panda 2]

I don't think that is specifically required, not every D is built like Dahlin.

I would do Power+ for Mac you can have Benson or Quinn but GM won't even entertain offers on Peterka.

Not every dman is going to be great at it but playoff teams have grit and toughness, Power is soft and casual. Good dmen have to have some level of intensity to their game, they have to be able to clear creases and get positioning (boxing out, etc). In juniors, we were taught first on puck, first on man, first in stick as the order of defending (Dale Hunter used to say that all the time).

Yes it's something you can develop (Hedman is a great example), no it's not something Power seems to be developing.

The danger too is that when you excuse and justify lackadaisical energy, it spreads. Teams follow the examples of their teammates whether that's matching intensity or gentleness.

Sabres have 3 great LD and a lot of holes throughout their lineup. Sabres are partially in their current bad vibes due to a culture that supports giving up. As much as they need warriors to fix that, they also need some good forwards especially at centre. 2 birds with one stone.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

How do you get 3 1OA


With one year of control, certainly not.



is Faber Bobby Orr?

No he’s a dman that can carry a teams defensive work load and play 25 minutes a night 82 games a year. Closer to Lindstrom then Orr

 

[TGWL]

So draft the top ranked RHD with that likely top 5 pick. You guys arent competing anytime soon.

I think it needs a blow up, but ill play the none rebuilding game. Retool via McKenna.

2025 1st - If you win, you go for Schaefer and trade Byram or Power for a RHD. If not, trade down for Mrtka or Hensler assuming you HAVE to draft a D with that pick.

2026 1st - suck for McKenna! Hes worth it!

Ugh capwages is sad for the Sabres. Paying Skinner until 2030. What losers. This team isnt close to being good.

I'm pretty sure they're tired of sucking and waiting. As good as it would be for them to land McKenna, I think the organization wants to be competing next season. This has gone on far too long.

 

[Ozakar]

Why even bother posting about players you clearly don’t know much about? Dahlin plays better on the right side and has spent the majority of his professional career (including Sweden) there. He is not out of position on his “off” side. And Power is kind of a mess defensively. He can’t handle Dahlin’s minutes/role.

Looking at it statistically, over the last three seasons, Dahlin - Jokiharju (yes) had the best xG% of all D-pairs (minimum of 150 minutes played).

Dahlin plays better on the right and prefers it.

I didn’t know you were inside Dahlin’s brain.

 

[Zman5778]

I didn’t know you were inside Dahlin’s brain.

Not sure what the snark is for. It's public knowledge that Dahlin prefers the right side -- he's said it in interviews many times and two coaches have now acknowledged that he plays better on the right.

 

[Kielbasa]

RD is the hardest position to find. Maybe Andersson from Calgary could be an option. Not the biggest fan of him but he is about the only one I can think off of the top of my head.

Next year is the last year of his contract, and he'll be 30 when his next contract kicks in. IMO Calgary has sat in him too long, the value wouldn't be there anymore.

 

[benfranklin]

I'm pretty sure they're tired of sucking and waiting. As good as it would be for them to land McKenna, I think the organization wants to be competing next season. This has gone on far too long.

I get that, but you're last place in the East. Some 4 doesnt magically get her nails done and become a 9 or 10. You have to blow that shit up, and hit the surgeon hard.

They have some ok pieces, but are far from competing.

 

[BowieSabresFan]

I get that, but you're last place in the East. Some 4 doesnt magically get her nails done and become a 9 or 10. You have to blow that shit up, and hit the surgeon hard.

They have some ok pieces, but are far from competing.

"ok pieces."

 

[Volica]

Depending on what's on the board and what pick Sabres have. If Misa is on the board still, Calgary would do Andersson + both our other firsts this year. One should be in the teens with NJD freefalling and the other will be at the end of the draft with the Kitties.

Not sure that gets it done. But having his brother and teammate would be really enticing for Calgary.

 

[benfranklin]

"ok pieces."

Overpaid Dahlin
Overpaid Power
Thompson
Byram RFA
Peterka RFA
Norris TBD

Crickets after that

 

[BowieSabresFan]

Overpaid Dahlin
Overpaid Power
Thompson
Byram RFA
Peterka RFA
Norris TBD

Crickets after that

How someone can have such definite opinions about how to fix a team, yet have no idea about the team or how to evaluate talent...

You have fun being you, but maybe stick with the electricity thing. I'll leave it there.

 

[Great Panda 2]

I get that, but you're last place in the East. Some 4 doesnt magically get her nails done and become a 9 or 10. You have to blow that shit up, and hit the surgeon hard.

They have some ok pieces, but are far from competing.

The Sabres have tons of great pieces, they shouldn't be that far from competiting.

1C = Tage Thompson mostly plays wing nowadays but once he's healthier, he might just switch back. Maybe not a top 15 center but decent enough.

Wings - Paterka looks to be a 25-30 goal scorer, Tuch is good for about 25 a year. Benson, Quinn might turn into something, lots of wing prospects with a lot of value.

Centre depth: Lots of prospects to trade or develop.

Dmen: Dahlin, Power, Byram all have a lot of value.

Sabres issue isn't a talent issue, it's a lack of vision and no idea what to do with their talent. They should be able to move pieces around and be a wild card team, their team doesn't work but they have far more than okay pieces. They have great pieces, I'd go as far as saying that they are in a better value spot than Ottawa or Detroit.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

No he’s a dman that can carry a teams defensive work load and play 25 minutes a night 82 games a year. Closer to Lindstrom then Orr

And that is worth a top 5 pick, a 23-year-old Peterka who has huge upside and a 19-year-old Benson who is playing pretty incredible hockey for his age. Sure he is Lidstrom. Sure

 

[Beerz]

Not every dman is going to be great at it but playoff teams have grit and toughness, Power is soft and casual. Good dmen have to have some level of intensity to their game, they have to be able to clear creases and get positioning (boxing out, etc). In juniors, we were taught first on puck, first on man, first in stick as the order of defending (Dale Hunter used to say that all the time).

Yes it's something you can develop (Hedman is a great example), no it's not something Power seems to be developing.

The danger too is that when you excuse and justify lackadaisical energy, it spreads. Teams follow the examples of their teammates whether that's matching intensity or gentleness.

Sabres have 3 great LD and a lot of holes throughout their lineup. Sabres are partially in their current bad vibes due to a culture that supports giving up. As much as they need warriors to fix that, they also need some good forwards especially at centre. 2 birds with one stone.

Yep.

 

[Beerz]

Looking at it statistically, over the last three seasons, Dahlin - Jokiharju (yes) had the best xG% of all D-pairs (minimum of 150 minutes played).

I didn’t know you were inside Dahlin’s brain.

Do some research before you spout off.

 

[benfranklin]

No he’s a dman that can carry a teams defensive work load and play 25 minutes a night 82 games a year. Closer to Lindstrom then Orr

I love Faber, but GTFO. Dude is closer to Slavin at this point than Lidstrom or Orr. He likely is a McAvoy type guy forever not putting up insane offensive numbers, but being a rock defensively.

How someone can have such definite opinions about how to fix a team, yet have no idea about the team or how to evaluate talent...

You have fun being you, but maybe stick with the electricity thing. I'll leave it there.

That had nothing to do with evaluating talent. It is looking at players and their AAV/term as valuable pieces in the lineup or as trade bait.

As of today Dahlin, Thompson, and your 2025 1st is all that has real value. The rest is a bunch of meh.

 

[pekka55]

Dahlin plays better on the right and prefers it.

f*** what Dahlin prefers. Seems to work out great for Buffalo. f***ing amateurs.

 

[Fjordsen]

f*** what Dahlin prefers. Seems to work out great for Buffalo. f***ing amateurs.

Dahlin is doing a great job for Buffalo, it's not his fault that the ship is run by an idiot owner and an equally idiot GM. That they don't understand how to build a team for playoff.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Xo

The type of D that Sabres will want wont be worth a top 3/4 pick or likely isnt on the market

The names that come up (these arent even guaranteed RHD but more so two way top pairing D who are strong defensively)

Faber (not on market and worth too much to the wild)

Parayako - likely worth less then a tpp 3/5 pick but not sure if hes on the market and he has some injury issues and age concerns

Slavin - not on the market since Canes are contenders

Brodin - Think he can play both sides but is he worth a top 5 pick? Also are the Wild going to deal him for any less?

I cant think of any elite defensive/two way dman players that would be on the market for the Sabres to target.

The sabres can try to build a high offense overload Defense for top portion (Makar, Toews, Girard, Byram in 2022 cup run).

Convince Boston to truly rebuild and get McAvoy.

 

[Beerz]

f*** what Dahlin prefers. Seems to work out great for Buffalo. f***ing amateurs.

You ok, sunshine?

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I'm prepared to trade this pick and even add for a serious RD option on our backend. And it has to be an RD. It is the Sabres' most glaring weakness. Still, our D is horrid with no depth. What we have is all LD.

The player must be team-controlled for multiple years, preferably younger but well under 30. We are not getting him, but a guy like Moritz Seider comes to mind. A guy like Simon Nemec maybe. David Reinbacher. I said unprotected because I would be willing to roll the dice with a non-playoff team (or less likely a playoff team) on an 11.5% chance at Matthew Shaefer who will be a #1 overall.

The goal would be to get a guy further along in development. A guy like Adam Fox would change the Sabres overnight, but clearly you are adding beyond.

And, yes, Sabres will be too timid to do any of this but the first pick should be in play.

If Dahlin is the top pairing RD, why bother with Seider or Adam Fox?

 

[Stealth JD]

You do understand that if the Sabres traded their 1st for a player currently on a NHL roster then that player would have to sit out the rest of this season? Not eligible to play in the NHL or AHL for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Not true.

Trades can be made post-TDL, the players acquired would simply be ineligible for the post-season. With the playoffs not a concern for Buffalo there would be little to no impact.