Buffalo Sabres: What Will Tim Murray Do With the Eighth Pick?
By Paul Taylor
With the NHL draft upon us, Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray says he is open to all possibilities, but what is he most likely to do with the eighth pick?
It’s safe to say Buffalo Sabres fans are extremely excited about the upcoming draft. Not only will it take place at the First Niagara Center, but they are well positioned to make a significant impact with 11 picks, including six of the top 100.
Understandably, the one locals are most interested in at this point is number eight. The question is, what are the Sabres most likely to do with their first round draft pick?
About the only thing people can predict with any degree of confidence is to expect the unexpected from Tim Murray. Just think back to last year’s draft, when he made trades which brought in Ryan O’Reilly and Robin Lehner.
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However, even Buffalo’s general manager thinks moving up is unlikely, especially with the top two picks not being an option. Murray admitted he had been in contact with Columbus, to discuss the third overall pick with Jarmo Kekäläinen.
However, the Blue Jackets general manager is not open to business as things stand. Speaking to Sabres.com’s Jourdon LaBarber and the rest of the media, Murray said: “Anything’s possible, but I think he said publicly that you’d have to knock his socks off and I think we’d have to knock his socks off and a couple pairs in his drawer too to get it done.”
There has been some speculation about going for Edmonton’s fourth pick. In truth though, there probably isn’t much difference in terms of the players Buffalo will be looking at, whether they select fourth or eighth.
In that respect, Murray said there are three prospects the team are targeting, of which at least one should still be available when it’s their turn to pick: ” That’s who we think will be left.
“Not all three will be there, but one of the three will be there. We’ve interviewed those players and I guess if it’s a player that we have rated higher than those three, it’s a bonus.”
The third option is to move down, something which Murray is also open to in the right circumstances: “If somebody offers us a top-end, young, left-shot D and they demand our eighth-overall pick and we feel that it makes us better, we’ll do the trade.
“If we did that we’d try to move back in the first round somehow but, long-term, if we got – it’s a dream – a franchise left-shot D that’s 25 years old, I don’t see anybody in the city complaining about that.”
Of the three options, it is the Sabres’ need for a left-shot defenseman, which likely means they will stay at number eight. With at least one of Jakob Chychun, Mikhail Sergachev and Olli Juolevi certain to be available when Buffalo picks, they will get the franchise-type blue-liner they are looking for, without needing to move position.
Next: Is Stamkos worth risking so much money?
If you were in Tim Murray’s position, what would you do with the eight pick? Would you look to move up or down in the draft, or stick where you are? Let us know in the comments section below.