The Stanley Cup Final has wrapped up, which means all 32 teams are locked in on the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The draft is approaching quickly, as the first round is scheduled to take place on June 27, marking the first decentralized draft that could be short-lived.
A number of unexpected picks have occurred in past NHL drafts, such as the Anaheim Ducks selecting Beckett Sennecke with the third-overall pick in the 2024 Draft. In this year’s draft, I expect it to be very unpredictable, with players still rising and falling throughout draft boards. Perhaps we’ll see a player like Brady Martin be drafted in the top five, while James Hagens falls outside of the top five. Anything is possible.
The Sabres, who are currently slotted to draft ninth overall, will have a plethora of options to choose from if they decide to use that pick to draft a player. I expect players such as Victor Eklund, Radim Mrtka, and Jackson Smith to be available when they’re on the clock. However, they could go off the board and draft a defenseman out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Kashawn Aitcheson.
Why Draft Aitcheson As High as 9th Overall?
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound defenseman is one of the most physical players in the draft. A player the Sabres seem to need desperately, he has zero problem throwing his body around. He has had issues with controlling his physical game at times, as during the 2023-24 season, he had 126 penalty minutes in 64 games. This season, he was able to control it better as he only recorded 88 penalty minutes in 64 games.
Aitcheson’s offensive game has seen the most improvement over the last two seasons. During the 2023-24 season, in 64 games with the Barrie Colts, he recorded 39 points (eight goals, 31 assists). Just this past season, he experienced a significant increase in offensive production, recording 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists). What’s the thing that jumps off the page from one season to the next? He tripled his goal total! He has one of the hardest shots in the draft, and has a growing confidence with it. His ability to be a puck-mover up the ice, lead rushes, and set up his teammates has been impressive this season.
Aitcheson’s defensive play is the strongest part of his game. His ability to defend against the rush and transition is exceptional, as well as his ability to get his stick in lanes, disrupting plays. His aggressiveness can sometimes hurt him and take him completely out of the game, which he needs to work on, but that’s what you’re going to get with a player like Aitcheson. Overall, his ability to shut down his opponent will not be overlooked, and there’s a reason he’s a top-three defenseman in the draft.
Aitcheson is everything that the Sabres need in a defenseman. He’s still a couple of seasons away from being NHL-ready, but if the Sabres can get back the right pieces in a Bowen Byram trade, they won’t need Aitcheson right away. Here’s a quote from the Elite Prospects 2025 Draft Guide:
“Loving nothing more than seeing attackers approach with their head down, Aitcheson hunts big open ice hits, connecting those every chance he gets. Saying that he makes his presence felt would be underselling it. Like throwback defencemen, Aitcheson is also a spot defender in his zone, forcing attackers to take the long way around to find some space in the slot. He can rotate and follow threats around the ice, but he’s at his best when picking up net-drivers, pushing them back and off the puck, and harassing them on the boards“.
Sabres Could Shock Everyone By Drafting Aitcheson
The Sabres drafting Aitcheson would be a surprise to many. He’s ranked all over the place but is mainly positioned around 11th-20th on people’s draft boards, with rankings as high as ninth (NA Skaters), 10th by a few experts, including Daily Faceoff, and as low as 53rd (Smaht Scouting).
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Aitcheson is projected to be drafted between 11th and 15th overall in most mock drafts. Ninth overall is not too far in front of that, so drafting him at nine would not be horrible in my opinion. Still, if players like Mrtka, Eklund, and Smith are all available, the majority of people would be asking the Sabres what they are thinking, but if they believe he’s their guy, then there’s nothing wrong with drafting him inside of the top 10.
Aitcheson is a raw prospect but has a ton of upside. His physicality is similar to Radko Gudas’, but he has significantly more offensive potential than Gudas ever had.
Sabres Could Trade Down
There’s one other option if the Sabres know Aitcheson is their guy, but also know he’ll be available a few picks past ninth overall. That option is to trade down a few picks. They could gain some assets with a team by trading down, whether it’s more draft picks, a prospect, or an NHL roster player. This would be the best scenario for the team as they can use as many assets as possible. I’m entirely in favor of just outright trading the ninth-overall pick for NHL-ready players, but that’s just me. Here’s a mock trade if the Sabres were to trade down that I’ve come up with.
- Detroit Red Wings Acquire
- Ninth-overall pick
- 2025 fourth-round pick (103rd overall)
- Sabres Acquire
- 13th-overall pick
- Jonatan Berggren
In this scenario, the Red Wings trade up to draft the player they believe is worth the ninth-overall pick. They also acquire the 103rd-overall pick to even out some value in this trade. I would also be okay if, instead of giving the Red Wings the fourth-round pick, the Sabres dealt their third-round pick (71st overall).
The Sabres trade back so they can draft Aitcheson and not feel like it’s a reach, plus they acquire a 24-year-old winger who is a pending restricted free agent this offseason. Recording 24 points (12 goals and 12 assists) in 75 games played for the Red Wings this season, Berggren can add some more speed to the bottom six, one of many things the Sabres need to add this offseason.
The Sabres are in a good spot with their first-round draft pick. There will be some exceptional players available, but the pick could hold value for teams in the mid-to-late first-round range. They can trade it to one of those teams to bolster their roster for this upcoming season and beyond.
Comment if you are all for the Sabres drafting Aitcheson or if they should draft someone else.
