Buffalo Sabres Make 3 Day 2 Draft Picks After Adding 2 First-Rounders

Q: Do Buffalo's top draft picks address the team's biggest needs for scoring and a number one goalie?

Not fully. Buffalo’s top picks appear to help the organization’s long-term scoring depth, but they do not directly solve the need for a true No. 1 goalie. Daxon Rudolph, taken fourth overall, is a defenseman. He brings offensive upside from the blue line, with strong WHL production and praise as a power-play quarterback with top-four potential. That could eventually boost team offense from the back end, but it does not address the more immediate need for finishing talent up front or goaltending. Ilia Morozov, selected 20th overall, is the pick that most directly touches the scoring question. He is a big, two-way center with skating, physicality and strong defensive habits. But the scouting consensus in the material provided is that he projects more as a middle-six or even bottom-six center than as a pure top-line scorer. He may help Buffalo’s forward depth and all-situations play, yet he is not widely viewed as the kind of high-end offensive prospect who clearly answers a top-six scoring need by himself. On goaltending, the answer is clearer: these picks did not address it. Neither Rudolph nor Morozov is a goalie, and the draft information provided does not show Buffalo using its top selections on that position. If the Sabres want a bona fide No. 1 netminder, that likely still has to come through a later pick, a trade, or another roster move rather than from their headline draft choices.

Q: With elite upside but clear flaws, was drafting Daxon Rudolph fourth overall a massive gamble for the Sabres?

Yes — at No. 4, Rudolph was a real gamble, even if it was a defensible one. The upside is obvious. Rudolph is a big right-shot defenseman with elite offensive production, high-end vision and power-play value. He put up 78 points in 68 WHL games, added 27 points in 19 playoff games, and was widely praised for his hockey IQ, skating, shot and ability to activate in transition. Some evaluators see top-four or even star-level potential, with comparisons ranging from Shea Theodore to Drew Doughty-style impact. What makes it a gamble is how much projection is still required for a player taken that high. Multiple scouting reports flagged his puck transport under pressure, inconsistent one-touch decisions, overuse of point shots and shaky rush defense. Critics noted he can give attackers too much space, get beaten wide, and look clunky when forced to carry through pressure. Corey Pronman’s C+ assessment and his view of Rudolph as more of a “bubble top and middle of the lineup player” captured that skepticism. Context matters for Buffalo. The Sabres did not simply inherit this pick; they traded Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway to get to No. 4, so the organization clearly targeted Rudolph. That raises the stakes. But Buffalo’s blue-line depth and Rudolph’s path to Denver also reduce the immediate risk, because he should have time to develop. So this was not reckless, but it was aggressive: Buffalo bet on premium tools and long-term upside over a safer, more polished option.

3 articles · Updated · NHL.com · Jun 27

Three Buffalo selections are scheduled for Day 2 of the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center: No. 124 in the fourth round, No. 156 in the fifth and No. 188 in the sixth.
Friday opened the Sabres' 2026 class with two first-round picks, led by defenseman Daxon Rudolph at No. 4 and forward Ilia Morozov at No. 20.
Rounds 2-7 began at 11 a.m. on NHL Network, with Buffalo updating its draft class as the day unfolds.