Sabres post-draft thoughts: Conor Timmins trade, the latest on Bowen Byram and more

New York Times

29-06-2025

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The 2025 NHL Draft will likely end up as a footnote in this Buffalo Sabres offseason. This summer is one in which general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff are feeling legitimate pressure entering the final season of their contracts. The playoff drought continues to weigh on this team, and the fan base is restless. So while the Sabres added some interesting prospects this weekend, this offseason is all about the NHL roster.
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This week was highlighted by Adams trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Micahel Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. That was a massive trade that will end up defining Buffalo's season and Adams' tenure in some ways. Adams continued to tinker with the roster this weekend, trading Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Conor Timmins and a prospect.
But what stands out coming out of this weekend is just how much is left to get done. The Sabres have six restricted free agents, including the newly acquired Timmins. Bowen Byram's situation is still unsettled. And the Sabres have roughly $20 million in salary cap space. This offseason is far from over, with free agency opening on Tuesday and trade discussions still ongoing around the league. The Sabres got some of their biggest business done by trading Peterka, but there are still so many directions this offseason can go. Will they add another forward to the top six? Will they spend to the cap ceiling for the first time under Adams? And is another trade coming?
At the beginning of the weekend, Adams insisted he had a plan. That plan is still incomplete. But here's what we learned during a busy draft weekend. We'll start with the Sabres' newest draft class:
Round 1, pick 9: Radim Mrtka, RHD, Seattle (WHL), 6-foot-6, 218 pounds
Round 3, Pick 71: David Bedkowski, RHD, Owen Sound (OHL) 6-5, 221
Round 4, Pick 103: Matous Kucharcik, C, Slavia Jr. (Czech Jr.), 6-4, 180
Round 4, Pick 116: Samuel Meloche, G, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL), 6-2, 190
Round 5, Pick 135: Noah Laberge, LHD, Acadie Bathurst (QMJHL), 6-0, 187
Round 6, Pick 167: Ashton Schultz, C, Chicago (USHL), 5-11, 180
Round 7, Pick 195: Melvin Novotny, F, Leksands IF (Sweden Jr.), 6-1, 185
Round 7, Pick 199: Yevgeni Prokhorov, G, Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk (MHL), 6-3, 183
Round 7, Pick 219: Ryan Racunski, F, Youngstown (USHL), 5-10, 176
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This draft class is going to come down to how the top two picks pan out. Radim Mrtka has a path to a top-four role, but it could take some runway for him to get there. Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton noted that Mrtka has some awkward moments skating since he's still growing into his body. But the Sabres saw dramatic improvement in his game throughout the season and are excited to see what he will do in his second season in North America.
Buffalo's second pick, David Bedkowski, represents all of the qualities the Sabres have been talking about in recent weeks. He's a 6-5 right-handed defenseman with a major mean streak. He might be the most physical player in this draft class. But what was also clear in speaking with him after he got drafted is how mature Bedkowski is. The Sabres' pick of Bedkowski was announced by Greg Manzi, a local youth hockey player who suffered a devastating injury last season. Bedkowski mentioned how special that was when he briefly chatted with the Sabres' brass after the pick.
Elite Prospects on Sabres' 3rd round pick David Bedkowski:
'Arguably the most violent player in the class, with the mobility, reach, defensive traits, and bloodlust to develop into a tremendous play killer.'
They had him ranked 47th, he went 71st.
pic.twitter.com/KriXZQBr6Y
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) June 28, 2025
As for his game, Bedkowski, who fought five times last season, said, 'I'm a heart and soul guy, loyal to the soil. Just compete is the name of the game to me. Sacrificing, blocking shots, whatever it takes.'
It's easy to envision playing in the NHL, even if his upside isn't that of Mrtka or other top defensemen in this class. He's also a player Sabres fans will have an easy time rooting for.
I like that the Sabres took a couple of chances on goalies late in the draft. Late-round picks don't often turn into NHL players, but goalies have a better chance and can be valuable commodities if you hit on one. The Sabres are stocked with young goalies. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is still early in his NHL career. Devon Levi hasn't yet become a full-time NHL player. And recent draft picks Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leiononen both got entry-level contracts.
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Now, Buffalo can add fourth-round pick Samuel Meloche and seventh-round pick Yevgeni Prokhorov to the mix. Meloche had an excellent rookie season in the QMJHL, shouldering a big workload and carrying his team deep into the playoffs with a 2.01 goals against average in 13 playoff games. Prokhorov, a native of Belarus who played in the MHL last season, might be coming to North America to play junior hockey next season, according to Forton. He also finished his season strong with a 1.95 goals against average and a .943 save percentage in six playoff games.
Timmins got the call that he'd been traded to the Sabres while he was at his parents' cottage, which is just across the lake from KeyBank Center. Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, he grew up going to Sabres games and was excited by the prospect of playing for Buffalo. Adams said he views Timmins, 26, as a third-pair defenseman right now.
The Sabres acquired Timmins and prospect Isaac Belliveau from the Penguins for Connor Clifton and the No. 39 overall pick in the draft. Timmins is a restricted free agent, so it remains to be seen how much the Sabres will save on Clifton's $3.33 million cap hit. Theoretically, Timmins shouldn't cost as much and should be an upgrade. He can also kill penalties. A second-round pick was a decent price to pay for this swap, but the Sabres don't have a dire need for more draft picks. Now let's see what they do with the small amount of cap flexibility from this deal.
There is a clear difference between the way Adams has been speaking about defenseman Byram and the way he spoke about Peterka before he got traded. Adams was visibly annoyed by the Peterka line of questioning, likely stemming from his frustration with the player. With Byram, Adams has been honest but also somewhat even-keeled. He gets that Byram has two years before he hits unrestricted free agency and wants some clarity on what his role will look like and what the team will look like.
'What he knows is we like him, we believe in him, we think it makes the team better with him on,' Adams said. 'But if there's a trade to make that makes sense and we think it's the right thing to do, we'll do it.'
The key piece here is that Adams trusts that if Byram sticks around, he'll be the same positive presence in the locker room he's always been. I'm not sure the Sabres felt the same way about Peterka.
'What I know about Bo Byram is if he's back, whether it's a one-year deal or two-year deal or eight-year deal, he's going to be all in and try to help us win. That's what I truly appreciate about Bo. We'll get to the right solution. It has to work for both sides. He understands how we feel about him, and he knows we're willing to do whatever we need to do to help our team get better. We've been very transparent both ways.'
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Adams said he would be re-engaging with Byram's agent, Darren Ferris, on contract talks. He was also interrupted during his post-draft press conference by a call from another general manager, a reminder that one call can change the situation in a hurry.
As it stands, Byram playing with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power playing with Michael Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson playing with Timmins could be a solid depth chart on defense.
(Top photo of Conor Timmins: Talia Sprague / Imagn Images)