The Sabres’ Problem With the 11th Pick in the 2024 NHL Draft – The Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

For teams on the outside of the NHL Playoffs, the focus has rightfully shifted to June’s NHL Draft. Most teams at the top of the draft likely have their lists ready to go and are excited to add a good young player. For the Buffalo Sabres, coming off the most disappointing season in recent memory, a major decision looms: “What should be done with the 11^th overall pick?”

The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery

The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery came and went with minimal fanfare, which is understandable. The playoffs are in full swing, there is competition from the NBA playoffs, and the MLB has games happening every night. A draft lottery isn’t necessarily league-wide appointment viewing. The most talked about moment of the night was the apparent “leak” by longtime pundit John Buccigross, who had seemingly spoiled the entire draft order:

If anything, it was a relief for most because clearcut first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini going to the Chicago Blackhawks would have caused an uproar. But for the Sabres, nothing of substance happened, and the team landed where they expected to. That’s where the debate starts.

The Problem With the 11^th Overall Pick

Let’s be honest. General managers want to be selecting at the top or bottom of the first round, and anything else offers varying degrees of frustration. Picking 11^th means the Sabres might get a decent player, but it also means that the team was just bad enough to miss the playoffs.

That’s not to say they can’t get a good player in the spot. Gabe Vilardi, Kevin Fiala, and Filip Forsberg are all recent 11^th overall picks. The real problem is that this player likely won’t join the lineup for another two years, at least. That leads to a major decision about what should be done with the pick.

The Problem for the Sabres

The Sabres have been God-awful for over a decade, missing the playoffs for 14 seasons. They need to get better now. Adding a good player here is fine. It would bolster an already solid stockpile of prospects in the system. But Buffalo’s roster wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs the last two seasons. They need a player who can impact the roster now, and the 11^th overall pick isn’t going to do that.

The Sabres Should Trade the Pick

The Sabres looked better after swapping Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram, but by then, it…