2015 NHL Draft: Winners And Losers From An Exciting Weekend
NHL Draft Winner: Buffalo Sabres
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Did any NHL team improve more from June 26th to June 27th than the Buffalo Sabres? I don’t think so. The Sabres started off Friday by grabbing a goaltender with a lot of potential in Robin Lehner and grabbing a serviceable NHL center in David Legwand. Did they overpay? Maybe, but they solved a huge need and they did it at a pretty reasonable price, all things considered. If any goaltender on the market was worth a first rounder, it was definitely Lehner.
They started off their evening on Friday by drafting Jack Eichel, who is one heck of a consolation prize for Connor McDavid. They weren’t done though, as they made a bold move to trade for Ryan O’Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche. They paid a fairly steep price, but Nikitia Zadorov is the only really good player who they got rid of. Thanks to their prospect pool, they could afford to get rid of Zadorov without losing too much. They have to pay several players in order to get to the cap floor, so why not take a shot on O’Reilly? This has become a center-driven league. With Eichel, O’Reilly, Legwand and Zemgus Girgensons, the Sabres have become exactly that.
To cap off a wonderful weekend, their division rival Boston Bruins were significantly weakened. If they can grab a top pairing defenseman in free agency, I think the Buffalo Sabres could contend for a playoff spot as soon as next season. They still have holes, but they exited this weekend with far fewer holes than they had and they didn’t really give up that much to fill those holes. Have to consider that a win for the NHL’s worst team last season. They ensured that they won’t be the favorites to land the number one pick in 2016.
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