Why Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen made both first-round draft picks despite trade chatter

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.

Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made it clear to all 31 general managers in the NHL that he was open for business heading into the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

He was willing to trade pick No.

4 or pick No.

20 if there was a player available who matched the value of the pick.

Advertisement Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman opened the networks broadcast with a report linking the Sabres to Winnipeg Jets star goalie Connor Hellebuyck and even added Hellebuyck would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to come to Buffalo if the Jets and Sabres agreed on a trade.

Throughout the week, it felt like the Sabres were linked to almost every player on the trade market.

Anticipation built at the KeyBank Center as the first round approached.

Kekalainen had spent the week making decisive and aggressive trades.

Sabres fans in attendance at the draft wondered whether a whopper of a move was coming.

But Kekalainen had a pretty good idea after the morning was quiet that he was going to make the pick at No.

4.

There were a ton of calls early on about pick No.

4, but we werent going to move it for something that wasnt significant, Kekalainen said.

It would have taken a significant offer for us to move from four.

We had some offers where we could have moved back a little bit and gotten something in return.

All kind of different options that we were kind of taking notes for a couple of ideas for what might be out there with Pick 4.

But to outright trade pick No.

4, it would have needed to be an impact player who could have played with our team for a good period of time, not just helped us next year or the year after.

Somebody with either term or good age that we have control of for many, many years.

Thats what you get with pick No.

4.

You get a guy that can be in your system for the next 10-15 years.

Nobody offered that type of player, so the Sabres drafted a player they hope can be just that.

They used the No.

4 pick to take right-handed defenseman Daxon Rudolph, who spent last season playing for Prince Albert in the WHL.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Rudolph was the first defenseman off the board, starting a run of four straight defensemen drafted.

Of course, the Sabres had pick No.

20 as a trade chip, too.

In the middle of the first round, the St.

Louis Blues traded a pair of first-round picks to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Mason McTavish.

Again, intrigue built around the Sabres pick at No.

20.

But they had a target in mind and no strong offers for the pick.

So when they were on the clock, they drafted Russian center Ilia Morozov, who spent last season playing at Miami of Ohio as a 17-year-old.

Hes been in the United States since just before his 15th birthday with an eye toward being an NHL player.

His two-way game at such a young age in college makes it easy to see his NHL potential.

Advertisement But neither Rudolph nor Morozov will be making an impact on the 2026-27 Buffalo Sabres.

Rudolph is heading to the University of Denver, hoping that after one season, he will be ready to make the jump to the NHL.

Morozov will be going back to Miami for his sophomore season.

The Sabres are fresh off a playoff appearance and look ready to open a competitive window.

There is understandable angst from fans wanting to see impactful additions who can help right now.

Thats why Kekalainen was open for business.

But as hes shown this week, Kekalainen is not going to panic with the short term in mind.

When Bowen Byram said he wasnt going to sign, Kekalainen found a way to get the best possible package, getting pick No.

4, pick No.

45 and defenseman Louis Crevier.

He then flipped pick No.

45 and prospect Anton Wahlberg to Anaheim for 22-year-old defenseman Olen Zellweger, who brings a similar skillset to Byrams.

When contract talks broke down with Alex Tuch, Kekalainen found a sign-and-trade partner and recouped a third-round pick.

He wasnt going to hand out the eight-year contract worth $10.5 million per year that the Washington Capitals gave Tuch.

Are the Sabres worse on paper now than they were at the end of the playoffs? Possibly.

But this time last year, we were wondering how the Sabres would replace JJ Peterkas production.

Peterka was just traded for a second time in two years, and the Sabres got more than enough out of Josh Doan.

Two years ago, a few days after free agency, the Sabres swung a trade for Ryan McLeod, who has been a solid middle-six center for them.

Theres still time for Kekalainen to improve this roster, and he undoubtedly will between now and September.

In the meantime, he now has even more assets to work with.

The prospect pool got deeper on defense, making it easier for Buffalo to consider moving one of these prospects in a trade.

Adding another center to the pool helps the Sabres backfill their young forwards who have advanced to the NHL.

Advertisement Between the NHL roster and the prospects and draft capital at his disposal, Kekalainen has more than enough to add to this roster.

Now we see what the rest of the weekend brings.

Why Rudolph? The Sabres went away from consensus by making Rudolph the first defenseman off the board.

His offensive ability stands out, as his 1.15 points per game were the fourth-best age-17 season in the WHL since Scott Niedermayer.

But the Sabres saw more than just offense.

Hes got some jam to him too, plays hard, Kekalainen said.

But his instincts are great.

I think thats the biggest thing that we like about him is its not just his physical ability, its his hockey IQ.

His instincts are great.

With Jerry Forton running amateur scouting, the Sabres have placed a premium on hockey sense, and Rudolph might have the best among the top defensemen in this class.

Where does Zellweger fit? Zellweger is a fascinating addition for the Sabres.

Hes one of the fastest defensemen in the NHL.

Only four defensemen in the league clocked more 20-22 miles per hour skating bursts than Zellweger did last season.

He has back-to-back 20-point seasons and seems to just be scratching the surface of his offensive potential.

The biggest issue is size and strength in battles, but the Sabres have some defensemen to pair him with to potentially mitigate that issue.

Kekalainen expects Zellweger and newly acquired Crevier to compete for the right to play on a pair with Owen Power next season.

Trading Bo Byram obviously created a hole, Kekalainen said.

This is a young player that has a lot of the same qualities, really good skater, speed, puck play, the ability to move up the ice, whether to pass or carry the puck out of the zone.

We see a lot of potential in him.

Other notes Kekalainen said after the first round that the Sabres acquired David Kampf to help the Capitals move a contract.

It didnt sound like the Sabres have an intention to sign him.

Hell be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.