Sharpen Up: June 4, 2018

It's draft season.
The NHL Scouting Combine took place in Buffalo last week, concluding with fitness testing for the prospects at HarborCenter on Saturday afternoon. No player drew more attention than Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, viewed as the consensus top prospect in the draft.

Dahlin was modest during his two sessions with the media, taking a wait-and-see approach when asked if he expected to be drafted by the Sabres with the No. 1 pick in Dallas on June 22. He also showed confidence in his abilities, saying he expects to be ready to play in the NHL next season.
You can read more on Dahlin's first meeting with the media here, or watch the full interview below.

On Saturday, Dahlin's peers at the top of the draft shared their thoughts on the defenseman's abilities. You can read what they had to say here, along with some of the standout questions from teams to prospects and an introduction to the latest Drury poised to play in the NHL.
Brian Duff has more on Dahlin:

You can bookmark this page to follow along with our draft coverage throughout the month. In the meantime, here's what you need to know.

Baker's countdown begins

It wouldn't be draft season without Kris Baker's annual ranking of the Top 31 prospects eligible to be taken in Dallas, which begins today with Nos. 31 through 27. The countdown continues throughout the week, with Nos. 26 through 21 coming on Tuesday.
Here's who's cracked the list so far:





The Sabres hold the first selection of the second round (32nd overall), meaning one of these five guys could wind up in Buffalo.

Sabres relinquish the rights for three prospects

The Sabres announced Friday that they have relinquished the rights to three prospects selected during the 2016 NHL Draft: forward Brandon Hagel and defensemen Vojtech Budik and Austin Osmanski. Buffalo had until 5 p.m. on Friday to offer contracts to the three CHL prospects.
Budik, Hagel and Osmanski are now eligible to be drafted again come June.