Sabres Add Daxon Rudolph at No. 4 and Ilia Morozov at No. 20 in Round 1
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 27
Sabres Add Daxon Rudolph at No. 4 and Ilia Morozov at No. 20 in Round 1
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 27
Summary
Buffalo used both first-round picks instead of trading them, taking defenseman Daxon Rudolph fourth overall and center Ilia Morozov 20th to deepen its prospect pool.
Rudolph was the headline addition: a 6-foot-3 right-shot defenseman Buffalo viewed as the draft’s best blueliner, with top-four projection, power-play ability and possible top-pair upside.
Morozov, also 6-foot-3, gives the Sabres a heavy, competitive two-way center after Buffalo moved Michael Kesselring to climb from No. 27 to No. 20.
The first-round haul followed Buffalo’s acquisition of the No. 4 pick in the Bowen Byram trade with Chicago, part of a broader effort to restock depth while keeping trade assets for NHL help.