1. Improving the staff

The Sabres have had a few pre-draft meetings ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, where Adams laid out his offseason goals very clearly. Adams took a behind-the-scenes look at the roster’s pre-draft meeting in Vegas, sharing his vision for the days ahead: making the Sabres better now by improving the roster, exhausting all options through the draft, trades and free agency, and moving forward with current contract negotiations.

After months of analyzing players and discussing the final roster, the board met for the final time before the first round of the draft, and Adams and the group discussed acquiring the 14th pick and an additional pick by selecting down from the 11th pick.

Assistant general manager Jerry Forton thought trading down three spots to acquire an early second-round pick “made a lot of sense” after weighing the risks, while Adams thought the additional asset could be used in a trade to improve the roster.

“I was prepared to take the risk of dropping to 14 and being 99 per cent sure that we would get the same player in 14 as we did in 11,” Forton said.

2. Helenius: A “natural” center

Adams made the ultimate decision to trade the No. 11 pick to the San Jose Sharks for the 14th overall pick and No. 42. Following Helenius’ selection in Round 1, the episode took a closer look at what made him stand out as a good fit for the Sabres, while sharing highlights from his NHL Combine interview with the team.

The Sabres’ hockey department liked Helenius’ ability to be a true centerman, among other qualities they were looking for in their first pick.

“He’s really a natural center,” Adams said. “This kid has it, and he’s a center all day long.”

Adams said Helenius and his family had the opportunity to meet and mingle with Sabres coaches and staff in a suite after the first round of the draft, which allowed them to understand the culture of the organization from the moment their names were called.

The episode featured Helenius, smiling from ear to ear as he watched the moments after the election.

3. Trading choices

Several teams had interest in Buffalo’s two second-round picks (42nd overall and 43rd overall), including the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. Adams considered all options and elected to trade the 43rd pick to acquire Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals, with Adams remaining in contact in the days leading up to the trade.

Adams shared that the team had been looking at Malenstyn for a while and targeted him because they believed he was the type of player who could make the Sabres roster better. The Sabres’ GM felt that adding Malenstyn met the current needs of a physical, fast and versatile fourth line while also using the pick to bring in a proven NHL player.

The Sabres made another trade in the 3rd Round, acquiring the 71st pick from Colorado in exchange for the 76th pick and the 161st pick. The episode showed Forton telling Adams and the front office staff at the draft table that they would likely need to move up a level in order to land their target, Brodie Ziemer.

Buffalo was able to select Ziemer with the 71st overall pick and was very excited about the move.

“We felt like if we didn’t get him with a third-round pick, we were going to have a big drop in the draft and a big drop in our roster,” Forton said.

4. Free agency frenzy

As the episode approached the opening day of free agency, the camera showed Adams making numerous phone calls as he aimed to become more physical and fast-forward to round out the bottom six.

The episode features Adams talking to players and staff about how he built a team that could wear down other teams and take on a more physical identity by adding Zucker, Lafferty, Aube-Kubel and Gilbert.

The hockey department is pleased with what they have accomplished by starting free agency.

5. Next part

Adams ended the episode with a powerful message emphasizing the team’s approach to the upcoming season and a new chapter with Ruff.

“I’m really excited for the season, honestly,” Adams said. “I can’t wait for September to come. I think we have a special group. I think we have a coach that’s completely respected around the league, what he does in the game. And I think Day 1 will send a strong message that we can talk about being a good team, that we can talk about that, but now. We’re doing it now.”