MONTREAL, QC — Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams followed through with what he’s been saying since February, that he was likely going to use all 11 picks in this year’s NHL Draft. Adams took eight forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie.
Taking a goalie wasn’t a surprise because he had said he was likely going to do that, but taking Topias Leinonen in the second round with the 41st selection was a shock to me.
Buffalo has Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Devon Levi and Erik Portillo in the developmental pipeline, with Levi and Portillo coming off seasons that saw them be two of the best goaltenders in college hockey.
“As it played out this morning, that we got to pick at 41, we felt strongly that this was the time to make it," Adams said. "I really feel that there’s a huge upside, he’s a big kid that really shows signs of being a high level goaltender, but it’s going to take time to develop.”
I asked Adams if taking Leinonen was any indication that they could be losing Portillo to free agency.
“No, it’s just the goaltending position, and you want to make sure that you have a pipeline, you have flexibility and options moving forward, and when you’re drafting young goaltenders, there’s a long path. It’s good to have options and you want to have depth in net,” Adams said.
Remember when the Bills were looking for a quarterback? Many felt that Buffalo should draft a QB every year until they find one, and you could say the same about goalies.
It also surprised me when the Sabres director of amateur scouting Jerry Forton said that they had even considered taking Leinonen with one of their three first-round picks because they thought he was the best goalie in the draft, by far.
I really thought the team needed to address their lack of young depth on defense. Buffalo has Ryan Johnson and Oskari Laaksonen, but Johnson may never sign with the team, and Laaksonen has fallen out of favor.
The Sabres took two D, but they were further down in the draft. Mats Lindgren was a fourth-round pick, and Buffalo took Vsevolod Komarov one round later. Last year after taking Owen Power first overall, the only other defenseman they drafted was Nikita Novikov in the sixth round.
I do understand why Buffalo went with three forwards in the first round. Most feel the Sabres had an excellent draft, and it's because they selected Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich. None of them really have size, but the Sabres really couldn’t pass up the 5-foot-9 Savoie because most scouts felt he was the most skillful player in the draft. He has speed, he’s nifty and can shoot. They could’ve taken defenseman Denton Mateychuk, who went to the Columbus Blue Jackets 12th overall, but when a player possesses the talent and skill that Savoie has, you can’t pass on that.
I had to laugh at the player the Sabres took with their third first-round pick, which was 28th overall. I asked Jiri Kulich where he was going to play next year and he said he felt he could be in the NHL. I asked him what Plan B was, and he said he doesn’t have one, he thinks he should be in the NHL.
He was also asked who he is most like in the league, and he went big and said David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins and league MVP Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Honestly, I have no problem with any of that. Probably one of the reasons he’s such a good hockey player in the confidence he has in himself.
Buffalo likes taking players with good pedigrees. In 2018 they took Mattias Samuelsson in the second round, and on Friday they drafted Mats Lindgren in the fourth round. Both their fathers played in the NHL and have been great resources in their careers.
The Sabres put a lot of analytics into their preparations for the draft. That’s why they hired the best in the business, Sam Ventura, away from the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s also why they drafted a pure goal scorer in Viktor Neuchev in the third round and Jake Richard in the sixth. Both grade out very well analytically. Many draft experts feel the Sabres got a steal in Neuchev at 74th overall.
The Sabres will get their first look at some of these prospects this week as development camp runs Wednesday through Saturday at HarborCenter and is open to the public.