Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Sabres will have three first-round selections in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft.
The first two selections for the Sabres were determined on Tuesday night during the NHL Draft Lottery, as the Sabres will select ninth overall with their original pick as a result of the final standings for the 2021-22 regular season.
The last and only time the Sabres have picked ninth overall in the draft came in the 1982 NHL Draft when they selected the late Paul Cyr.
Meanwhile, the Sabres found out they will also select with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft as a result of the Vegas Golden Knights not winning the Draft Lottery.
As a stipulation of the Jack Eichel trade back in November, the Golden Knights only would have kept their first-round pick in 2022 had they ended up with a top-10 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
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If the Golden Knights had won one of the top-two selections in the NHL Draft Lottery, the highest the team could have selected was sixth overall.
Buffalo has selected 16th overall four times in the history of the franchise, with the last pick coming in 2013 when they selected defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The other players to go 16th overall to the Sabres includes forward Joel Armia (2011), goalie Martin Biron (1995) and Hall of Fame forward Dave Andreychuk (1982).
As for the Sabres' third first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, that overall selection is still to be determined. Buffalo will know their third first round selection at the end of the Florida Panthers' run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as part of the Sam Reinhart trade at the end of the 2021 NHL Draft.
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In the end, the Montreal Canadiens ended up winning the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. They had the best odds (18.5%) of winning the first overall pick in this July's draft, which they will likely use to select center Shane Wright out of the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League.
The Canadiens are also set to host the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal after having the draft pushed to a remote setting for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are the first team since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1985 to host the NHL Draft and hold on to the first overall selection.
As for the other second overall pick, the lottery balls ended up going the way of the New Jersey Devils, as they ended up jumping three spots in the draft order from fifth overall. It is the fourth time in the history of the NHL Draft Lottery the Devils have won one of the top overall selections, winning the first overall pick in both 2017 and 2019, while jumping to the fourth pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets will also have two selections in the top-16 of the 2022 NHL Draft. They will draft 12th overall with their own selection, as well as sixth overall with the Chicago Blackhawks' pick as a result of the Seth Jones trade.
Here is how the top-16 of the 2022 NHL Draft will look:
1.) Montreal Canadiens
2.) New Jersey Devils
3.) Arizona Coyotes
4.) Seattle Kraken
5.) Philadelphia Flyers
6.) Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago Blackhawks)
7.) Ottawa Senators
8.) Detroit Red Wings
9.) Buffalo Sabres
10.) Anaheim Ducks
11.) San Jose Sharks
12.) Columbus Blue Jackets
13.) New York Islanders
14.) Winnipeg Jets
15.) Vancouver Canucks
16.) Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas Golden Knights)