Welcome to the Buffalo Sabres News & Rumors. In this edition, we will talk about how the Sabres tried to trade down in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in a different Beck Malenstyn trade, how they tried to acquire Martin Necas before he re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, and the announcement of the 2024 Prospect Challenge.
Sabres to Host Prospects Challenge
The Buffalo Sabres announced that they will be hosting their 2024 Prospects Challenge from Sept. 13-16 with a total of six teams participating. The Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, and Boston Bruins will join the Sabres at the LECOM Harborcenter in September to have their prospects play against each other.
The Sabres have hosted this tournament nine times in the past decade, and have built a strong foundation for the annual series. The teams have a roster of young prospects playing to try and showcase their skills. The Sabres will play against the Blue Jackets, Devils, and Bruins in the three-day tournament.
The Sabres will also be hosting Fan Fest and Hockeyfest on Sept. 14 ahead of their game against the Devils.
Sabres Tried Trading Down for Malenstyn & 17th Overall
Before the actual trade that brought Malenstyn to Buffalo, the Sabres had their eye on him in the first round. In a recent episode of Sabres Embedded, it showed that the team was looking to trade the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft for the 17th overall pick and Malenstyn. Considering the Sabres ended up paying a second-round pick for him, the value of that deal adds up.
Related: 4 Reasons the Buffalo Sabres Can Make the Playoffs
Although they tried to facilitate a trade to move down in the first round, they should be glad they didn’t. With the 14th overall pick, the Sabres selected Konsta Helenius, who could have gone much higher in the draft. The 17th overall was Terik Parascak, who is a good prospect as well, and there is no guarantee that the Sabres would have picked him. The second-round pick that was traded was used to select Cole Hutson, who could end up being a great pick, but either way, the Sabres ended up making the right move by just using a second-round pick for acquire him instead of swapping first-round picks.
Malenstyn will likely slot into the bottom-six for the time being. He scored 21 points in 81 games with the Washington Capitals last season, and was one of the most physical players in the league, with his 241 hits ranking 12th league-wide. Despite being 26 years old already, there is a lot of room for him to come into his own and become a more impactful player. Last season was his first full season in the NHL and he made the Capitals a better team.
Sabres Reportedly Had Deal for Necas Nixed
In the latest episode of The DFO Rundown, Frank Serevalli mentioned that prior to signing an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Sabres had a deal for Necas that may have been accepted, but didn’t finalize because Necas wouldn’t sign a deal in Buffalo.
Over the last number of years, it has been evident that many players have Canadian teams, and Buffalo on their no-trade clauses if they can. With Necas, he was a restricted free agent, so while he didn’t have any clauses or trade protection, it is his choice where he is willing to sign.
There was no reported price of the trade that would be sending Necas to the Sabres, but with a reported price of Rutger McGroarty, Cole Perfetti, and a pick from the Winnipeg Jets, it would have been costly to pull off from the Sabres.
While this deal didn’t go through with the Sabres and Hurricanes, what it does say is that general manager Kevyn Adams isn’t done working, and is trying to get a high-end winger to help out on the forward group. Many fans were confused at the lack of big-name players being brought in this offseason, and the Sabres opting to stock up on bottom-six players. This report shows that there was more in the works, and could still be with players like Nikolaj Ehlers and Trevor Zegras still in trade rumors.
