Day 1 Notebook | Kekäläinen talks 1st-round picks, Zellweger trade and more

Jarmo Kekäläinen oversaw the NHL Draft on 11 occasions during his days in amateur scouting with Ottawa and St. Louis, tenures that saw the selections of longtime NHL players such as Jason Spezza, Marian Hossa and T.J. Oshie.

One lesson in particular from that time has shaped his draft approach as general manager.

“I was fortunate that I always worked with a general manager that didn’t stick his fingers in the process,” Kekäläinen said.

Kekäläinen took the same approach during his first draft as general manager of the Sabres, trusting the years-long scouting process conducted by assistant GM Jerry Forton and his staff as they crafted the list that led to them making two first-round selections during Round 1 on Friday, adding defenseman Daxon Rudolph with pick No. 4 and forward Ilia Morozov at No. 20.

“We are in great hands with Jerry Forton and his staff, (assistant director of amateur scouting) Jason Nightingale and all the area scouts, because they do exactly what I believe in too, which is work hard, watch a lot of games, go back again and again and again to make sure that you know a player inside and out, especially the top guys,” Kekäläinen said. “And then you work on your board constantly.”

The Sabres’ draft board has proven to yield positive results more often than not under Forton’s watch, having led to first-round selections of Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius – all contributors to this year’s playoff run. (Not to mention Jiri Kulich, who was penciled in as first-line center before blood clots cost him most of the season.)

This year’s board had Rudolph and Morozov both ranked prominently. Rudolph, a 6-foot-2 defenseman, hadn’t been projected in the top five of most media mock drafts but impressed the Sabres with his hockey IQ (along with his offensive ability, which produced a 78-point campaign in the WHL).

Morozov – a hardworking, two-way center – was high enough on the Sabres’ board that they considered trading up into the teens to select him. He scored 20 points in 36 games last season as one of the youngest players in college hockey and has had an impressive journey, having moved to North America from Russia at age 14.

“He comes from Russia, hardly spoke any English and now he’s an A student,” Kekäläinen said. “Works on his game. They have to kick him out of the rink and gym.”

Another relentless worker brought into the fold by the Sabres scouting staff, like Benson and Helenius before him.

Here are more notes from Round 1.

Kekäläinen talks trade opportunities

A few weeks ago, it seemed this could be the Sabres’ quietest draft in years. They were set to pick at No. 27 – their first time outside the top 15 since 2011 – and had just four picks overall.

Things changed quickly with two high-profile trades. Buffalo moved up from No. 27 to 20 in a deal that sent defenseman Michael Kesselring to San Jose, then acquired pick No. 4 as the main piece of a package that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago.

Right away, Kekäläinen made it clear that he was willing to part with either pick for immediate help to the NHL roster. But it had to be the right price.

While there was heavy interest in the fourth pick, Kekäläinen said it had become clear by Friday morning that there were no packages worthy of trading away a piece that could become a cornerstone of the pipeline.

“We explored all the options, and I contacted all the other teams in the league to make sure that they know that all our options are open,” Kekäläinen said. “Nothing was attractive enough for us to do anything else than pick.”

Sabres add Zellweger from Ducks

The Sabres did make on trade on Friday afternoon, sending a second-round pick (acquired in the Byram trade) to Anaheim in exchange for 22-year-old defenseman Olen Zellweger.

Though younger and less experienced than Byram, Zellweger possesses many of the same traits: elite skating, puck possession and offensive instincts. He had the fifth-most speed bursts over 20 mph last season, according to NHL Edge, trailing four of the game’s elite defensemen in Matthew Schaefer, Cale Makar, Jake Sanderson and Quinn Hughes.

Kekäläinen said he sees Zellweger potentially competing with fellow newcomer Louis Crevier (a 6-foot-8 defenseman acquired in the Byram deal) to play as Owen Power’s partner next season.

“He’s just getting started,” Kekäläinen said. “He’s playing 17 minutes a game. We always say that defensemen need about 200 games before you can really see what they become. He’s not there yet, so I think he’s just growing as a defenseman right now.”

Looking ahead to Day 2

The Sabres are set to make three selections on Day 2, which begins at 11 a.m. on NHL Network:

• Round 4, 124th overall
• Round 5, 156th overall
• Round 6, 188th overall