Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine last weekend, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
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Brandon Wheat Kings center Roger McQueen may be the best example of a high-risk, high-reward player in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old has the physical tools and scoring ability that teams drool over, but questions over a lower back injury that limited him to just 17 games in the WHL last season have him potentially slipping into the lower half of the top-10 and perhaps even lower than the Sabres ninth overall pick.
According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, McQueen could fall because 2024 fourth overall pick Cayden Lindstrom missed all of the WHL regular season with a similar injury after missing half of his draft year. A team willing to take a chance could hit the jackpot on the Saskatoon native, who is a highly-skilled, high-character forward.
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