Who are the draft prospects being mocked to the Buffalo Sabres?

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft starts on Friday with the first round, and continues into Saturday for rounds two through seven. While there’s a pretty broad range of players who could fall to the Buffalo Sabres picking at ninth, there is a consensus amongst the fanbase that we need to be targeting either a big forward or a big right handed defenseman. Note the emphasis on ‘big’, especially given how the Florida Panthers have built a team around large, snarly, gnarly players and made it to three straight Stanley Cup Finals.

Mock Drafts

Scott Wheeler’s Mock Draft 3.0 – Radim Mrtka [Position: RHD; Height: 6′ 5.75″; Weight: 218 Ibs]
As I’ve previously reported, I’ve had Mrtka connected to the Sabres. If it’s not Mrtka, I could see it being Roger McQueen, though. They could use his size within their pool and could use a premium center prospect, too.

Corey Pronman’s Final Mock Draft – Porter Martone [Position: RW; Height: 6′ 2.75″; Weight: 208 Ibs]
Martone getting this low in the draft may raise some eyebrows, but there’s a good reason. He’s a winger, and there’s a ton of great centers in this draft. Martone’s foot speed is also a concern for teams. At 9, though, the concerns start to get a bit ridiculous and Buffalo would likely be thrilled with this outcome. I would be fascinated to see what the Sabres would do if Hagens got here, however. Could they take yet another small forward?

The Athletic Staff Writer Mock Draft – Brady Martin [Position: C; Height: 6′; Weight: 178 Ibs]
There are a few players who make sense here, including Viktor Eklund, Carter Bear and Radim Mrtka. But Martin stands out because of his physicality, playing strength and competitiveness. He also has plenty of offensive ability as his 72-point season showed. He’s the type of player the Sabres don’t have enough of in their prospect pool. — Matthew Fairburn

The Athletic Hockey Show Mock Draft – Roger McQueen [Position: C; Height: 6′ 5.25″; Weight: 198 Ibs]
McQueen is a highly intriguing prospect, as a 6-foot-5 center who can skate and possesses real skill. On upside, he belongs much higher than this. And while the back injury that cost him much of this season is the obvious reason for his slide to this point, Pronman pointed out the league may not be as scared off by the ri