NHL Rumors: Elliotte Friedman reveals Buffalo Sabres' trade plans around 2024 draft first-round pick

Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Buffalo Sabres are open to trading their 2024 first-round draft pick, which is 11th overall. The Sabres hold eight picks in the upcoming draft, so they have some flexibility with their assets.

"I think Buffalo's 11th pick is available too. I don't think they're just going to trade it for the sake of it, but they've put it out there,” Friedman said in his 32 Thoughts podcast on Friday.

"They're saying, 'If you're really interested in that pick and it's something that will help us, we'll do it.' They haven't limited their options to just one type of deal; they're willing to move down and acquire more assets, or even trade it for a player."

Friedman speculates the Sabres are considering bringing another forward for their top-six and may engage in a trade when the perfect chance arises.

The Buffalo Sabres' 11th overall draft selection might lead them to acquire prospects like defenseman Carter Yakemchuk and forwards Berkly Catton, Cole Eiserman and Tij Iginla.

Buffalo Sabres' GM Kevyn Adams discusses plans for the 2024 NHL draft

General manager Kevyn Adams discussed the team's plans for the draft during his appearance on WGR 550 radio in May.

Adams said the Buffalo Sabres could consider trading their first-round 2024 draft pick if the right opportunity comes.

"You need a deep prospect pool. You need a pipeline of players that can come through your system and replace players that either you have to trade for financial reasons, or they’ve just fallen off, they get older. So that’s critical," Adams said.

"But I laid a plan out three or four years ago now and we stuck to that. We’ve been disciplined. I think our amateur scouts have done a great job of identifying some really good hockey players that we’re excited about."

With the prospect pool now stocked, Adams noted the team is in a different phase and focused on winning soon.

"We need to look at every possible scenario to help our team get better. So, when I talk about winning now, that absolutely comes into play," he said.

However, Adams clarified the Sabres will still take a measured approach and won't make a trade just for the sake of it.

"We’re still not going to do something that doesn’t make sense, but we will definitely talk about that type of move, and does that make sense? And maybe it makes a lot more sense now based on where our roster is and where our prospect pool is than it did one, two, three years ago.”

The Buffalo Sabres look to build through the draft while remaining open to trading their top pick this year to upgrade their NHL roster.