When and Where Will We Know Buffalo’s Pick?
After 14 seasons without any playoffs for this Sabres’ franchise, some of us are almost apathetic towards the draft now. Sure, we have acquired some good players over the years but none of them has delivered us a post season. Many more have gone on to bigger and better things. Others have drifted into obscurity. Buffalo could grab a player in 2025 who will help us very soon, there is a chance of that. But the better odds are on that player being selected needing development time of 3 or 4 years. It is also a possibility that the Blue and Gold brass move the pick for immediate help now. Many of us hope for a combo, draft for the future while using assets to level up the current team. We are about two weeks away from finding out where the Sabres will officially select on draft day.
The first 16 positions in the 2025 NHL Draft will be determined on either May 5th or May 6th, TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports. That is either a Monday or a Tuesday. The draft lottery date will be finalized based on the playoff schedule. It will then be revealed during that evening’s broadcast. The rules are as follows:
The current NHL Draft Lottery rules were last adjusted in 2021. Here are the key points:
- Only two picks are determined by the lottery (No. 1 and No. 2).
- A team cannot move up more than 10 spots in the draft order.
- A team cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five-year span (starting from 2022).
- If a team in slots 12-16 wins, they move up the maximum 10 spots, and the team with the worst record retains the No. 1 overall pick.
“These rules ensure a balance between giving struggling teams a chance at elite talent while maintaining competition integrity.” – LOL integrity! So says the NHL and their not very transparent lottery procedures.
Based on Buffalo’s regular season finish, right now they have pick number 7. But that could easily change. These are the three scenarios that would be in play for the Sabres in the lottery:
- Buffalo wins the first or second overall pick in the draft and moves up to that spot.
- The Sabres stay right where they are and pick 7th overall.
- One or even two teams with better records than Buffalo win the lottery and leapfrog the Sabres. We would then drop to 8th if one team jumps over us or 9th if two teams do.
In the next week to ten days, the NHL should announce if the draft reveal will be on May 5th or May 6th and what time during the broadcast the order will be announced.