Final takeaways from the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Kevyn Adams had two objectives when he arrived in Las Vegas for the NHL Draft.

One was to continue to deliberate with his amateur scouting staff, led by assistant general manager Jerry Forton, to ensure the team was confident in its final list of available prospects.

The other, ongoing objective – which will continue with the start of free agency at noon on Monday and into the remainder of the offseason – was to pursue avenues to improve the NHL roster. Adams emphasized being harder to play against as one area he hoped to address.

Buffalo made a move to that end on Saturday morning, acquiring forward Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals in exchange for their own second-round pick (43rd overall). The Sabres were still able to make a selection in the second round, using the 42nd-overall pick they acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Thursday to draft 6-foot-6 defenseman Adam Kleber.

Malenstyn, 26, is a physical forward who was used in one of the most defense-heavy roles in the NHL last season. He was on the ice for 562 defensive-zone faceoffs, which ranked third among all NHL players (according to Natural Stat Trick). He ranked fifth among league forward in shorthanded time on ice.

Malenstyn also ranked first among Capitals forwards in blocked shots (93) and first among all Washington players in hits (241) – although it was the quality of those hits that caught the Sabres’ attention as much as the quantity.

“When he hits, he hits hard,” Adams said. "And we’ve been looking at ways to … just be harder to play against. And he’s certainly someone that brings that every night. That was a big need that we came into this offseason looking for and we were excited to get him.”

Malenstyn also had six goals and 21 points in 81 games this past season, his first full year in the NHL. Before that, the 6-foot-3 winger was a member of the Hershey Bears team that defeated Seth Appert’s Rochester Americans in the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals last spring.

As the Sabres pursued Malenstyn in recent days, Appert – now an assistant coach in Buffalo – was a resource. He described Malenstyn as a player that AHL teams feared, one who hit hard and earned time and space as a result of opponents’ respect for his physicality.

The Sabres also did their due diligence on Malenstyn the person and came away with the impression that he is a popular, high-character teammate. That impression was solidified when Adams called Malenstyn following the trade on Saturday morning.

“We had a great talk, spoke to him minutes after the trade was official. I’ve been there, trust me, as a player,” Adams said. “You’re a little shocked. He couldn’t have been more excited and more on board and knows some players on our team, likes our team, and was ready to go.”

All of those ingredients – the physicality, personality, and penalty kill capability – made it worth the cost of acquisition in the eyes of the Sabres’ front office. Buffalo sent the 11th-overall pick to San Jose on Thursday in exchange for the 14th pick (used to draft Konsta Helenius) and the 42nd pick. With two second-round picks at their disposal, Adams planned to use the asset to acquire roster help.

“It was an area of need and that was the price that we were definitely worth paying,” Adams said.

Here are more notes from Day 2 of the NHL Draft.

1. Adams confirmed after the draft that the Sabres had initiated the process of buying out the contract of forward Jeff Skinner.

Skinner has three years remaining on the eight-year, $72 million contract he signed in June 2019. As a result of the buyout, the Sabres will pay Skinner for the next six years but at a reduced salary cap hit below his original $9 million average.

“That (process) was started and that’s our intention to move forward,” Adams said.

2. Adams said the Sabres remain in trade discussions following the draft.

“It’s not like a trade deadline where things just are over,” he said. “There’s still things we’re working on on that front that we’ll continue to pursue that were kind of independent from the draft.”

Along with those discussions, the attention turns to the start of free agency at noon on Monday. The Sabres have ranked their targets as they pertain to organizational needs at each position.

“Now, we’ll go after it,” Adams said. “And it’s always a little unsure because it has to be a match. We have put our best foot forward in terms of free agents and they have to want to be in Buffalo and we’ve got to make it work. But that’s what we’ll do in the areas that we think we need to add.”

3. Buffalo’s draft class consisted of eight players: three forwards, four defensemen, and one goaltender. Find a comprehensive breakdown of the class here.

The Sabres opened the draft with the selection of Helenius, a two-way centerman who they believe could be ready for pro hockey in North America sooner rather than later. We wrote about his journey to Buffalo and the traits he brings to the organization here.

4. Day 2 opened with the selection of Kleber, who at 6-foot-6 described himself as a two-way, shutdown defenseman who aims to play against opposing teams’ top forwards.

Buffalo continued to add large defensemen through the remainder of the day, drafting Luke Osburn (6-foot-1) and Simon Pier-Brunet (6-foot-2) in the fourth round followed by Hamburg native Patrick Geary (6-foot-1) in the sixth round.

5. Geary played for the Buffalo Junior Sabres prior to spending two USHL seasons with Waterloo. The 20-yaer-old was a freshman last season at Michigan State, where he was teammates with fellow Sabres defense prospect Maxim Strbak.

“The things we like most (are) his athleticism, skating, strong frame, and high compete level,” Forton said.

6. The Sabres packaged the 76th and 161st pick to Colorado in exchange for the 71st pick, which they used to select forward Brodie Ziemer in the third round.

Forton said Ziemer was over 20 spots higher on the Sabres’ list than the next-closest prospect at that point in the draft. The forward has served as captain for the U.S. National Team Development Program and will begin playing at the University of Minnesota in the fall.

Ziemer was asked to name his greatest asset.

“I’d say my hockey sense,” he said. “I’m still trying to become a better skater and with my hockey sense, it allows me to play a little bit faster than I really am.”

7. For all of our coverage from Las Vegas – including interviews, behind-the-scenes video, and more – visit Sabres.com’s NHL Draft Hub.