The Chicago Blackhawks currently hold the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. They sit behind the New York Islanders and the San Jose Sharks.
This isn't the type of draft where any player is a lock to be selected in a certain spot. The top ten could go in multiple different orders. The decision that the Islanders make will influence the entire draft that follows.
A draft like this could lead to trades of high-value picks. If the Blackhawks decided to trade out of three for other types of assets, nobody would fault them for it.
The Buffalo Sabres are a team rumored to be an organization willing to trade up using some of their active roster players.
The Sabres haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011. It seems like they are ready to do some outrageous things in order to turn the tide.
Chicago and Buffalo match up well for a trade. Chicago is looking for NHL players who can help them take a step, while Buffalo is looking to change things up. There is a trade that the Sabres and Blackhawks could make that would benefit everyone involved.
The Blackhawks and Sabres swapping their top ten picks would be Chicago downgrading by six. This year with this class, that could be catastrophic, or it could prove to be a franchise-altering event.
By trading down, you'd expect the rest of the return to be impressive. Bowen Byram, who has a hard time getting the ice time he deserves on Buffalo's blue line, would be perfect for the Blackhawks.
He'd come in and be great with the likes of Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, and Alex Vlasic. Nolan Allan leaving to go the other way to Buffalo would clear some space for a guy like Byram. Allan may not have the ceiling of Byram, but he'd fit in better behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
The Blackhawks would be letting go of Lukas Reichel and Ryan Greene in this deal as well. Both of them could be serviceable bottom-six forwards on a good team. The Sabres need depth like that, but the Hawks need another high-end scorer. In this scenario, they'd get that in return with JJ Peterka.
Peterka has a high-end ability to produce offense in the NHL. The German winger had 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points in 77 2024-25 matches. He was also outstanding on both sides of the puck despite the Sabres having a lousy season.
In this mock, the Sabres would be changing up their roster while Chicago would be adding pieces they can use now to help. The draft pick swap favors the Sabres, but the player swap favors the Hawks. Either way, though, both sides are getting serviceable players and picks.
It isn't always easy to make a first-round trade because of how fast things are changing during that time. If a team picking below three was calling with an offer like this one, Kyle Davidson must explore the option.
