Nashville, Tenn. (WGR 550) – Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams got his man on Wednesday night, drafting winger Zack Benson with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
This first round marked the first time in 13 years a trade wasn’t made, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying from Adams. After he drafted Benson with the 13th pick, Adams started making calls to move back into the first round.
Buffalo native Quentin Musty was still on the board until Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks took him with the 26th overall pick.
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Adams says this draft is so deep, there wasn’t a team that wanted to trade away their first-round pick on Wednesday.
"We worked hard the last, I’d say, from 21-back to the end," said Adams following Wednesday's first round. "We basically made on offer on every one of those picks and it didn’t work, but they were strong offers and I understand, especially in the first round when there’s a lot of work that goes into these draft picks. We certainly had a plan and we worked it, but it takes two to make a deal."
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Adams was also surprised there wasn’t a single trade once Round 1 got underway.
"I was just saying that to the guys at the table. That's shocking. I don’t know what to make of that," Adams admitted.
Adams knew what kind of hockey player he was drafting in Benson, but he found out a lot more about him when they spoke at the NHL Scouting Combine.
"There’s just certain kids that give you this feel that they’re a hockey player and they’re just winners, and they have such a desire to play the game and compete. He checked all those boxes," Adams said. "If you can add talented, passionate people that just believe that playing in the National Hockey League is an honor and will do everything they can to achieve success, it’s a great place to start. Zach certainly has that."
When you look through the history of the NHL Draft, the 13th overall pick hasn’t produced many great players. Adams says when he got Benson at Pick 13, he saw better skill than what usually pops up there.
"You’ve heard me talk about projection, and we felt like this player has the upside that often you don’t get at that spot," he said. "The way the list was falling, we started to get pretty excited that this player my be there for us."
Rounds 2-7 of the 2023 NHL Draft take place on Thursday with the Sabres holding Picks 39 and 45 in the second round.
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