The Sabres have seven picks in the 2019 NHL Draft, including No. 7 and No. 31 (from the St. Louis Blues) in the first round. The first round at Rogers Arena in Vancouver is June 21 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS). Rounds 2-7 are June 22 (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN).
"It's crucial that across the entire draft that we can find players," general manager Jason Botterill said. "You look at free agent lists and everything and there's certainly some very quality players from a free agent standpoint, but there's just not the depth; teams are doing a great job of wrapping up players longer term. The draft is where you bring skill into your organization. I love the collaboration of our amateur staff and I think they're certainly on the right path."
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It's something Botterill and director of amateur scouting Ryan Jankowski have worked to rectify since coming to Buffalo in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Prior to their arrivals, success outside of the first two rounds eluded the Sabres. This season, goalie Linus Ullmark (sixth round, No. 163 in 2012) became the second player since 2006 chosen in the third round or later to play at least 50 games with the Sabres. Marcus Foligno, Buffalo's fourth-round pick (No. 104) in the 2009 NHL Draft, is the other.
Since 2010, the Sabres have nine goals from players selected in the third round or later. Forward Nick Baptiste, chosen in the third round (No. 69) in the 2013 NHL Draft and traded to the Nashville Predators on Oct. 1, 2018, scored seven. Forward
Victor Olofsson
, a seventh-round pick (No. 181) in the 2014 NHL Draft, scored the other two after making his NHL debut on March 28 and has the potential to be a rare late-round hit for Buffalo.
"One thing that we talk about is, let's put as much focus into the seventh round as we do the first," Jankowski said. "Obviously your first-round pick is the splash, the high profile, the player that's going to contribute sooner. But if we can pull off some players in the fourth, in the seventh rounds, that's a big part of making an organization successful."