Sabres to receive 28th overall pick from Panthers

The Sabres hold the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft following the Florida Panthers' season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
Buffalo will have three total selections in the first round: its own pick at ninth overall, the 16th overall pick from Vegas, and the 28th pick from Florida.
The NHL Draft will be held in Montreal on July 7 and 8.

The Sabres acquired the Panthers' first-round pick in 2022 along with goaltender Devon Levi in exchange for forward Sam Reinhart last July.
Florida won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top team in the regular season with 122 points but was swept in its second-round series against Tampa Bay.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said the team will explore all options with its three picks during his end-of-season press conference earlier this month.
"If you're putting me on the spot, I would expect that we would make our three picks," Adams said. "I believe in the pipeline you have to build. When we talk about long-term sustainable success, you need talent. You need talent that can come up from Rochester, and you don't have to rush them.
"… We would expect that we would use them appropriately. But you've got to be open. You got to be in the conversations, and you have to be ready for any type of thing if the right opportunity presents itself."

Buffalo's organizational depth already consists of 10 first-round picks under the age of 26, including Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Casey Mittelstadt, Owen Power, Jack Quinn, and Tage Thompson at the pro level along with Ryan Johnson and Isak Rosen in the pipeline.
The Sabres have made three first-round selections on two occasions in franchise history, selecting Tom Barrasso, Normand Lacombe, and Adam Creighton in 1982 and Phil Housley, Paul Cyr, and Dave Andreychuk in 1983.