NHL Rumors: Buffalo Sabres to take Sam Reinhart

The Buffalo Sabres have had months to figure out which player they want to take with the second overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. As it turns out, they probably didn’t even need that long. In a recent interview with WGR 550, Buffalo’s Assistant GM Kevin Devine said the team has had their guy for a while.

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If the Sabres do go with Sam Reinhart, they’ll be choosing game smarts over raw physical talent. While TSN prefers Aaron Ekblad (who likely will go no. 1 overall and not be available to Buffalo) and Dan Marr of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau prefers center Sam Bennett, the guys who talk Sabres each and every day and talk to the people in Buffalo’s front office as much as anyone are all feeling pretty certain that Sam Reinhart will be a Buffalo Sabre.

Devine obviously wouldn’t divulge that name, but the WGR 550 staffers had no problem coming up with a consensus pick: Kootenay center Sam Reinhart. First, there was one host chiming in.

Then another:

While Ekblad and Bennett are seen as more imposing physical specimens, Reinhart is lauded as a cerebral puck moving center who thinks through the game at an elite level.

The first round of the NHL Draft takes place Friday, June 27th at 7PM. The Florida Panthers hold the first pick, followed by Buffalo’s selection.