The Sabres have the No. 9 pick in the NHL draft. What are their options with the pick?
The Buffalo Sabres have the No. 9 pick in this year's draft. A look at whom they could draft, or if they could trade the pick − and what their
Matt Savoie, left, speaking with Jiri Kulich during a practice in 2023, is one of only two picks drafted ninth overall by the Sabres. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The Buffalo Sabres are ready to make the pick. Or will they?
The Sabres are poised to choose at No. 9 when the NHL draft begins its first round in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. ET Friday. First-round draft picks are coveted – for drafting what so many teams hope become future stars.
First-round picks also can be used as trade chips. The Sabres can leverage one to acquire a player or players who can immediately contribute to the roster.
The Sabres have options. Here’s a look at whom the Sabres could take at No. 9, some of the times they have traded away a first-rounder, recent trades involving NHL teams’ first-round picks and some notable No. 9 picks in the last 25 years.
Possible No. 9 picks
Kashawn Aitcheson: Left-handed defenseman, Barrie Colts (Ontario Hockey League). He’s noted for his toughness, but scored 26 goals with 33 assists in 64 games, including nine power-play goals.Victor Eklund: Right wing, Djurgardens, Sweden. The younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund scored 19 goals with 12 assists in 42 games and played for Sweden in the World Junior Championships.
Roger McQueen: Center, Brandon Wheat Kings (Western Hockey League). The 6-foot-5 McQueen is a wild card in the draft, as a back injury limited him to 17 regular-season games. Still, he scored 10 goals with 10 assists and had 88 penalty minutes.
Radim Mrtka: Right-handed defenseman, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL). He came to North America after playing in Czechia’s top pro league, and proved a playmaker, scoring three goals with 32 assists in 43 games.
Jackson Smith: Left-handed defenseman, Tri-City Americans (WHL). Smith scored 11 goals with 43 assists − including four power-play goals and 13 power-play assists − in 68 games. He’ll join Penn State in the fall.
Sabres senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen, left, talks with general manager Kevyn Adams during the Bills' mandatory minicamp on June 11. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Keep or trade the No. 9 pick?
Don’t overlook the possibility that the Sabres could put the pick in play this year. The Sabres have traded their first-round pick in a few notable deals:1975: Traded Larry Carriere, the No. 15 pick (Greg Carroll) and cash to the Atlanta Flames for Jacques Richard in October 1975.
1993: Call this a blockbuster. The Sabres acquired goalie Grant Fuhr and a fifth-round pick in February 1993 for Dave Andreychuk, Daren Puppa and Buffalo’s pick at No. 12 (Kenny Jonsson).
2007: Traded Jiri Novotny and the No. 28 pick (Nick Petrecki) to Washington for Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling in February 2007.
2012: Traded their first- and second-round picks in the 2012 draft to Calgary for the Flames' first-round pick (Mark Jankowski), and selected Zemgus Girgensons at No. 14.
2019: Traded Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick for Brandon Montour in February 2019.
2024: San Jose acquired the No. 11 pick (Sam Dickinson) from Buffalo for the No. 14 pick (Konsta Helenius) and the No. 42 pick (Adam Kleber, in the second round).
The Sabres' history at No. 9
The Sabres have had only two No. 9 picks: Matt Savoie in 2022 and Paul Cyr in 1982. Here’s how things turned out for them.Savoie was the No. 9 pick who got as much attention for his choice in the lining of his suit jacket – a tiger motif – as he did simply for being a first-round pick.
The 5-foot-9 forward from the Winnipeg Ice of the Western Hockey League scored 41 goals and 102 points in 75 regular-season and playoff games in 2021-22, and was ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the fourth-best North American skater in the draft that season.
Savoie split the next two seasons between the Ice, the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans, the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild and Moose Jaw Warriors, and played only one game with the Sabres in 2023-24. The Sabres traded Savoie to Edmonton for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio in July 2024.
The Sabres selected Cyr, a left wing with the Victoria Cougars of the WHL, at No. 9 in 1982. Two big names bookended Cyr’s selection by the Sabres, who had three first-round picks that year.
Those picks? Phil Housley, a defenseman from South St. Paul High School in Minnesota, who later became a Hockey Hall of Fame selection and a Sabres coach, at No. 6; and Andreychuk, a left wing at No. 16.
A few deals
NHL teams traditionally hold onto their first-round pick, but here’s a look at three notable package deals that involved first-rounders:2011: The Columbus Blue Jackets traded their first-round pick (No. 8), third-round pick (No. 68) and forward Jakub Voracek to Philadelphia for center Jeff Carter.
Voracek played for 15 seasons, including his first three and last two with the Blue Jackets. Carter’s time in Columbus was short, but he concluded his 19-year NHL career in 2024, the last of his four seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The No. 8 pick that year? Sean Couturier, who enters his 14th season with the Flyers.
2012: The Penguins traded center Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Brian Dumoulin, center Brandon Sutter and the No. 8 pick, Derrick Pouliot.
Dumoulin became an integral part of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championship teams in 2016 and 2017, and enters his 13th NHL season. Staal is captain of the Hurricanes and prepares for his 19th NHL season. Sutter played 13 seasons and retired in 2023. Pouliot completed his 11th pro season, most recently with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL in 2024-25.
2013: The New Jersey Devils traded the No. 9 pick to Vancouver for goalie Cory Schneider, and the Canucks picked center Bo Horvat, who is now with the New York Islanders.
Notable No. 9s since 2000
2003: The Calgary Flames drafted Dion Phaneuf, a defenseman from Red Deer of the WHL. Phaneuf scored 137 goals and 357 assists in 1,048 games with the Flames, the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings from 2005-19. Phaneuf also might be as well-known as his wife, actress Elisha Cuthbert, who starred in films and the TV series “24.”2007: San Jose drafted Logan Couture, a center from the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL. Couture scored 323 goals and 378 assists in 933 games from 2009-24. A Guelph, Ont., native and professed Bills fan, Couture finished his NHL playing career as a rarity: He spent his entire career with one team, the Sharks.
2011: The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup on June 15, 2011. Nine days later, they drafted Dougie Hamilton, a 6-6 defenseman from the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. Hamilton will enter his 14th NHL season and his fifth with New Jersey. He’s also played for the Bruins, Flames and Hurricanes since 2012.
2012: The Winnipeg Jets drafted Jacob Trouba, a defenseman from Rochester, Minn., and the U.S. National Team Development Program. Trouba enters his 14th NHL season and he's scored 73 goals and 236 assists in 748 NHL games with the Jets, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks. You might also recognize him as the spokesperson for AstraZeneca’s "Get Body Checked Against Cancer" campaign.
2013: The Canucks drafted Horvat, a forward from the OHL’s London Knights. Horvat has scored 241 goals and 263 assists in 732 games with the Canucks and Islanders. He was second in scoring for the Islanders with 28 goals in 2024-25, behind Anders Lee (29 goals).
And a bonus …
The only goalie ever taken at No. 9? The Flames drafted Brent Krahn in 2000.NHL draft
Los AngelesFirst round, 7 p.m. Friday
Second-seventh rounds, noon Saturday
