Buffalo – Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier has options this weekend. With a pair of first round picks in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, the Sabres are as likely as any team to move up in the first round. Regier has picks at #13 and #26, and with those two picks, the team can take it a few different ways.
“You want to get a player that’s going to contribute to your team and with the 13th pick we think we can do that and also the 26th pick so, that’s the approach, and we’re going to stick with that,” said Regier.
Speaking with the Howard Simon show, Regier talked about the type of player he might be looking to select, and that he’s willing to move.
“You’re looking at a number of defenseman and then you’re getting into the forwards and probably where we’re picking there are more forwards than there are defensemen. There are a lot of teams trying to get into the top 10. I’ve had a number of conversations with other GMs, relative to our possibility of getting into the top 10. Right now we haven’t been able to.”
As is the case in many drafts, regardless of the league or the year, it's not totally up to the Sabres. Whether or not the club makes a draft day trade, will come down to what happens in the first 12 picks.
“There are three players we look at where we’re picking and hope to get one of those three. Two of them are forwards and one is a defenseman, so, if we were able to get any of those three players, I think we’d feel fortunate,” said Regier.
Brian Koziol and Nick Mendola have draft coverage starting Friday night at 7 pm.
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Maxim Afinogenov might want to keep an eye on the draft, because he may find himself playing for another team before the end of the weekend. It's been a move for the Sabres in the past few months...open discussion of Max's future:
“I will probably meet with Max’s agent Don Meehan at the draft and talk about Max’s situation. Obviously Max is a very good player, and had a very difficult year. He expressed that in the meeting with Lindy and I, and we talked about it, and (a trade) remains one of the considerations. We’ll discuss it…whether that comes into play in the draft, we’ll have to see.”
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Once the draft passes, the big day (the REALLY big day) comes: July 1st.
The start of unrestricted free agency also marks the day that the Sabres can speak with the agents for Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville.
“We’ll sit down, not too long after July 1st, and make contact and have initial conversations, and try and get the ball moving.”
Is he confident that the team can get BOTH Miller and Pominville in the fold?
“We’re hopeful. We’ll get to work on it early on, and that certainly is what we’re hoping to do.”
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