Stanley Cup Playoffs notebook: Buffalo's rebuild didn't come through the draft

It still doesn't feel round.

Not only did the Buffalo Sabres, with a roster that wasn't appreciably different from the 2024-25 season version that missed the playoffs by 12 points, break their 14-year playoff drought. They did it with ease and are now through to the second round.

To call it an unconventional rebuild would be like calling the Grand Canyon a decent-sized hole in the ground. But what makes the group they've built really interesting is that the only truly high picks they have are a pair of defensemen they took first overall, and a depth winger who's playing under 17 minutes a night in this postseason to date.

Most of their difference-makers, instead, were acquired via trade: Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, who are first and third on the team in scoring through the first round, respec