Breaking down the Sabres' trade with San Jose ahead of the NHL Draft

LAS VEGAS – Kevyn Adams made two points clear when he met with the media Thursday morning, just over an hour after the Buffalo Sabres acquired the 14th- and 43rd-overall picks in the NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for pick No. 11.

The first was that, in a draft in which opinions vary on the order of what is considered a deep top 15, the Sabres feel confident in the level of player they could select at 14.

The second is that the Sabres are still actively pursuing options to improve their NHL roster, including further potential trades of draft picks.

Here is a breakdown of the deal with San Jose and what it means for the Sabres on the eve of the draft, which begins with Round 1 at 7 p.m. on Friday.

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What are the Sabres’ selections after the deal?

Following the trade, the Sabres hold nine picks in the draft:

Round 1, 14th overall (from Pittsburgh via San Jose)

Round 2, 42nd overall (from New Jersey via San Jose)

Round 2, 43rd overall

Round 3, 76th overall

Round 4, 108th overall

Round 4, 109th overall (from Philadelphia)

Round 5, 161st overall (from Florida)

Round 6, 172nd overall

Round 7, 204th overall

Who might be available at 14th overall?

When we covered our lists of seven players who could be available for the Sabres with the 11th-overall pick at both forward and defense, we wrote about the high level of variance among media rankings of what is considered a deep group of roughly 15 players atop this year’s draft.

Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton, who oversees amateur scouting for the organization, said during a press conference last week that he expects a similar variance in opinions among NHL clubs.

“I think this draft might be a little bit unique after that point when you get to six to 15,” Forton said. “I think there’s a really wide spectrum of players and probably a lot of difference of opinions across the league on that group of players.”

All of which is to say – the list of players we assembled as options for the Sabres at 11 is still relevant now that they’ve moved back to 14.

At forward, that list includes a capable two-way centerman in Konsta Helenius; a large, skilled winger in Beckett Sennecke; a power forward in Michael Brandsegg-Nygard; and two players with eye-catching offensive numbers in Berkly Catton and Cole Eiserman, among others.

The list at defense includes a trio of offensive defensemen in Carter Yakemchuk, Zayne Parekh, and Zeev Buium; a right shot with high upside in Adam Jiricek; and a late riser in Stian Solberg who Corey Pronman of "The Athletic" referred to as “the most physical player in this year’s draft.”

By trading with the Sharks, the Sabres still have the opportunity to draft one of the aforementioned players (or another name on their list) while adding a second pick in the second round.

What additional trades could be on the table?

Adams was asked about the quality of trade offers involving the 11th pick that would have added immediate roster help to Buffalo.

“There was not a trade – and we went through every possible scenario with every team you can possibly go through – that we felt comfortable (with and) made sense for pick 11,” Adams said.

He added, however, that those deals that were discussed could still be had with the 14th pick.

“Any trade that we’ve potentially looked at or talked about, there could still be the same trade there at 14,” Adams said. “That’s part of the thought process as well. But, I said, it doesn’t mean we’re done here. We’re going to actively look. This pick’s available if makes sense for us.”

The additional second-round pick, meanwhile, gives the Sabres another asset to potentially use in trades. Adams said the Sabres had been actively shopping their own second-round pick (43rd overall) for players who could improve the NHL roster.

“This just gives us a little bit more ammunition,” he said.

What types of NHL players are the Sabres targeting?

Adams was asked about the potential of trying to acquire a top-six forward and whether it would relate to the decision regarding a buyout of Jeff Skinner’s contract. The buyout window ends on June 30.

“I think everything’s on the table,” Adams said. “We’re going to look at every possible scenario, whether that’s trade opportunities to make our team better, who’s out there in free agency. Those are things we’re looking at and juggling.”

Further down the roster, Adams expressed a desire to add physicality be it at forward or defense.

“I'd like to see us get a little bit harder to play against,” Adams said. “I'd like to see us have a little more physicality, especially lower down, lower on our depth chart on.”