Montreal, QC (WGR 550) – Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams certainly had me fooled, because yes, I knew he’d likely take a goalie in this year’s draft, but I never dreamed it would be in the second round at pick No. 41.
Adams surprised many when he selected Topias Leinonen, who was rated the best goaltender in the draft.
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“The plan all along was to draft a goalie, but I wanted to see where it played out as far as where and when," Adams said following the 2022 NHL Draft on Friday in Montreal.
“As it played out [Friday] morning, we got to pick 41, we felt strongly that this was the time to make it. I really feel that there’s a huge upside. He’s a big kid that really shows signs of being a high level goaltender, but it’s going to take time to develop.”
I asked Adams if taking Leinonen was any indication that they could be losing Erik Portillo to free agency next summer.
“No. It’s just the goaltending position, and you want to make sure that you have a pipeline, you have flexibility and options moving forward," Adams explained. "When you’re drafting young goaltenders, there’s a long path. It’s good to have options, and you want to have depth in net.”
As far as goalies for this season, some veteran goaltenders were moved during the draft, while others re-signed with their teams. Adams says there is no panic with him.
“You have to have a plan, and you have to have a priority list," he said. "You go through all those things, and we had a lot of discussions with different teams discussing options. You go through that list and check it off, and maybe some conversations pick up a little bit more, some go away. We know options are available, but what we won’t do is panic. We’ll be patient and calm, and do the right thing.”
Sabres' Director of Amateur Scouting, Jerry Forton felt Leinonen was far-and-away the best goalie in the draft.
“We love the on-ice athleticism and the big save ability, especially at his size (6-foot-6)," said Forton following Friday's Day 2 of the NHL Draft. "What has really impressed us is it seems like every time he’s faced some adversity, he’s had a big bounce back game. I will add that there was a major gap on our list to the next goalie."
After the Sabres took Leinonen 41st overall, the next goalie to come off the board was Niklas Kokko to the Seattle Kraken at No. 58, followed by Tyler Brennan to the New Jersey Devils at No. 102.
So why take Leinonen at No. 41? Most teams had him ranked later in this year's draft.
“We’ve been talking about this for a long time, as to what’s the right spot. We felt this guy had first-or-second-round value, and the question was, 'Do we use one of our first-round picks, or take a chance and wait for the second-round pick?' There never was a consideration that we’d go later than that.”
Buffalo took defenseman Mats Lindgren in the fourth round on Friday. His dad, Mats, played 387 games in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks. He was taken 15th overall in the 1993 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
Adams didn’t think the younger Lindgren would last into the fourth round.
“We were pretty surprised that we were able to get him where we did,” the Sabres general manager admitted.
Mattias Samuelsson’s father, Kjell, played 813 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Mattias has spoken many times as to how much his dad has helped him, and is still helping him. Lindgren also has that resource, and Forton says that matters in their evaluation.
“The information that’s at their fingertips on a daily basis with their fathers, just learning to be a pro. This is a lot about what this kid is about," he said.
“He had a very good playoff (with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League), he has a huge role on their team, he’s an excellent puck mover and he’s skilled enough that he can play his off-side.”
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As the draft goes on, Adams admits the Sabres tend to move away from the rankings.
“As you get on later in the rounds, me personally, what I’m looking for is passion from our area scouts, attributes that maybe there’s something that really jumps off that they can turn into an NHL player. I think we’ve found that, and we like Sweden,” Adams said.
As for the future of Sabres defensive prospect Ryan Johnson, Adams reiterated he met with his representatives on Thursday in Montreal. However, no decision has been made on where he'll play next season.
“We met with them [Thursday] and he’s going to come to Development Camp," Adams said. "Then we agreed to circle up right afterwards to have the next discussion. Does that mean he decides to go pro, or does he go back to school?”
At the end of his press conference, Forton had a very genuine and touching moment. He was asked what Adams has meant to the organization. Forton became overcome with emotion brought on by how much Adams means to turning this franchise around, and also to what co-owner Kim Pegula is going through with an undisclosed illness.
The Sabres will get their first look at some of these prospects starting Wednesday, July 13, as Development Camp runs through Saturday at Harborcenter. This year's camp is open to the public.
