The Sabres are assured of a Top 4 pick.
By Jourdon LaBarber / Sabres.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — We know that the Buffalo Sabres are guaranteed a top-four pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Where exactly that pick will fall will be determined at the NHL Draft Lottery in Toronto on Saturday night.
The Sabres enter the lottery with the highest odds to win the No. 1 overall selection, at 18.5 percent. The chances decrease for each of the 14 remaining non-playoff teams in reverse order from where they finished in the standings, with Ottawa holding the second-highest odds at 13.5 percent.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into Saturday.
The process
There are three lotteries – one for each of the top three picks, with all 15 non-playoff playoff teams eligible to win them. The odds for remaining teams will increase proportionately after each draw, meaning Buffalo maintains the best odds for each of the three selections.
The 12 teams that do not receive a top-three pick will be assigned picks 4 through 15 in reverse order of their regular-season point totals. That means up to three teams can jump ahead of the Sabres, in which case they would pick fourth.
Picks 4 through 15 will be announced prior to Game 2 between San Jose and Vegas on Saturday, with coverage beginning on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. The order of the top three selections will be announced during the second intermission.
What’s at stake
Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is regarded as the top prize in this year’s draft. Dan Marr, the NHL’s Director of Central Scouting, described the 18-year-old as having “the skating, skills and elite hockey sense that can dictate the style of play and pace of a game with or without the puck.”
“Dahlin is an exceptionally talented prospect who will be able to contribute, influence and impact a team’s fortunes much in the way that defensemen Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) have in the NHL,” Marr said.
“If you wanted to pick one player from the 2018 draft who could potentially be viewed as a generational talent, Rasmus would be the only candidate. There is that much respect for him and his abilities.”
Forward Andrei Svechnikov is ranked as the top North American-based skater after scoring 72 points (40+32) as a rookie in the OHL last season. David Gregory of Central Scouting described Svechnikov as an “elite skater and finisher” who “separated himself from the rest” of North American prospects.
Central Scouting lists Boston University forward Brady Tkachuk as the second-rated North American skater, followed by forward Filip Zadina and defensemen Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson.
Defenseman Adam Boqvist, forwards Vitali Kravtsov and Martin Kaut, and defenseman Adam Ginning round out the top five skaters who play overseas, respectively. The full rankings are available here
Historical context
If the Sabres do receive the No. 1 overall pick, they’ll be picking at the top of the draft for the third time in franchise history. Buffalo used the first overall selection on Gilbert Perreault in 1970 and Pierre Turgeon in 1987.
The Sabres have also picked second twice in franchise history, selecting Sam Reinhart in 2014 and Jack Eichel in 2015. The franchise has never selected third or fourth.