ORCHARD PARK – Luckily for the Sabres, the NHL, which decentralized its draft last year much to the chagrin of, well, pretty much everyone in the hockey world except for some general managers, still has its top prospects gather in a city.
This week, the festivities are being held in Buffalo, so instead of scrambling after acquiring the fourth overall pick in Tuesday’s blockbuster trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, GM Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff could easily interview youngsters that could be available to them Friday.
“They’re all here,” Kekalainen said Wednesday at One Bills Drive, where the Sabres are headquartered for the NHL Draft. “We have a couple of days to do that.”
During their stunning run of futility, the Sabres owned a lottery pick 14 straight years. They finally cracked the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, winning 50 games and registering 109 points.
But having dealt defenseman Bowen Byram, they pried one of the coveted top selections away from Chicago.
Crazy, isn’t it?
The Sabres also own the 20th selection Friday – they moved up seven spots when they traded defenseman Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks – and four picks on Saturday: 45th, 124th, 156th and 188th.
They possess enough draft capital to find a replacement for Byram or winger Alex Tuch, who on Wednesday was sent to the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade deal.
That prized fourth pick – the Sabres have never drafted in that spot – will likely be the focus of any trade talks Kekalainen has with his counterparts.
On Wednesday, he said the Sabres have told teams that have inquired about the fourth pick they will listen, take notes and determine its value.
Kekalainen has a difficult decision to make.
The Sabres, having lost Byram and Tuch, need reinforcements. They’ve established themselves as legitimate Cup contenders. They’re in go-for-it mode, meaning futures get sacrificed for immediate help.
Byram’s mobility helped make their defense corps their greatest strength. They have no replacement on the roster or in the pipeline.
Kekalainen spoke Wednesday about how some of the Sabres’ young forwards – Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius, all of whom are 22 or younger – can assume more responsibility with Tuch gone.
That’s true, but none of them can fill the void losing one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards has created. Kulich, the most experienced of the neophytes, has played 75 NHL games.
If the Sabres want to remain at or near the top of the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, which they won last season, Kekalainen likely has to make some deals.
That fourth pick will certainly give him some enticing offers to consider.
On the other hand, if Kekalainen makes the selection, he will have a high-end teenage prospect in his stable. While he might be one, two or even three years away from making the NHL, he will probably be worth the wait.
Imagine a dynamic prospect joining perhaps one of the league’s best teams in the near future.
Most of the Sabres’ top young talent has graduated to Buffalo. Good teams often trade away picks and prospects for established players. They don’t have many chances to draft high or replenish their farm system.
It might be hard to pass up making the pick.
Winger Gavin McKenna is expected to be drafted first overall Friday by the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center followed by winger Ivar Stenberg second by the San Jose Sharks.
The Vancouver Canucks hold the third pick.
A few prospects the Sabres could draft with the fourth pick are below.
Chase Reid, defenseman, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Ontario Hockey League
NHL Central Scouting rank: second among North American skaters
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Reid, who plans to play at Michigan State next season, possesses slick puck-moving ability.
Reid, a right-handed shot, told reporters Thursday in Buffalo he spoke to the Sabres on Wednesday.
“We had a really good conversation,” he said.
The thought skating for the Sabres someday intrigues him.
“Playing alongside Tage Thompson and (Rasmus) Dahlin would obviously be super cool, and the fact that they’re (up and coming) and making the playoffs, it would be a really cool opportunity to play here,” Reid said.
Keaton Verhoeff, defenseman, University of North Dakota, NCAA
NHL Central Scouting rank: fourth among North American skaters
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Verhoeff, who turned 18 last Friday, thrived in college hockey despite being the NCAA’s fourth-youngest player, scoring four goals and 20 points in 36 games last season.
Verhoeff, a right-handed shot, spent two years playing junior in the Western Hockey League before joining North Dakota. His size might help make him an NHL-ready talent.
Caleb Malhotra, center, Brantford Bulldogs, OHL
NHL Central Scouting rank: sixth among North American skaters
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Malhotra could be snapped up by the rebuilding Canucks, who recently hired his father, Manny, as coach.
As a rookie, Malhotra scored 29 goals and 84 points in 67 games before registering 13 goals and 26 points in 15 playoff outings.