Daxon Rudolph

There was honestly like where this is why it's when you need talent, it's good to suck because your draft pick matters.

And they were able to pick – I wouldn't have token Daxon Rudolph.

He is a better offensive ceiling, like more Hughes-y, but solid all around, do everything on the ice for you.

That was Carroll's.

Make sure – was he an offenseman? Yeah, it was Daxon

Rudolph, right? Daxon Rudolph, yeah.

There's your quote-unquote Bowen Byram replacement.

Obviously not to that level in year one, but Daxon Rudolph's a damn good defenseman.

But he could – yeah, like you have – you are making your – you're making your defense line younger.

And so you have that depth piece, although you think is gone, you just – you take one away and you get one back.

He went number one.

Who was the kid that Buffalo took number four that played for? Daxon Rudolph for Prince Albert.

Calgary took Carson Carroll's number six, right? Okay, Verhoff number nine.

Those guys were all WHL players.

It's Roman Kancrov, who is unranked in Ellis' 2025 edition.

He comes in after James Higgins is 10th, Ilya Protash is 11th, Viggo Bjork is 12, Cole Hudson is 13, Albert Schmitz is 14, Michael Hage 15, Keaton Verhoff 16, Daxon Rudolph at 17, who the Sabres selected.

with the fourth overall pick that they got from the Blackhawks.

Caleb Denwaye is 18.

So it was good to see him again.

And I think Daxon Rudolph, too, another fun guy.

We actually got to surprise him with wings, which was pretty sick, during the draft.

But, yeah, I'd say those two and then – um give a shot me while you're wearing the jersey so Gavin McKenna I think and Derek you might be able to speak to this as well and Matt because you got to meet him too in the draft room yeah um he is a super down-to-earth dude I remember a lot of people were kind of telling us too like before even we met Gavin I know Derek especially they were telling us like he might be kind of a robot for you guys like I don't know how much you're gonna get out of him and he is so cool so fun to work with and Um, I mean, he'll, he'll sit and have a conversation and, and, and ask you about your life and things like that.

Joined by Mike Harrington.

Uh, the Buffalo Sabres took Daxon Rudolph fourth overall, and this year's first round [laughs] was, uh, it was an interesting one for defensemen.

You know, there was, there was options all across the board.

Uh, how confident are you in, uh, in Rudolph, you know, him being the first defenseman picked in the draft? And, and how do, how do you see him fitting into the fold for the Sabres the next few years?

Um, the Sabres deserve the benefit of any doubt with their drafting.

Mm-hmm.

You know, they got Benson and Helenos both in the teens when both times people immediately texted me saying, "That guy is much better than he was selected." And Daxon Rudolph at number four, most people may not have picked him as the first defenseman to go about among that lot of guys.

Mm-hmm.

And like you said, it better prepares the organization to s- to, to make their plans for the future, right? Knowing.

I know that, like, last year again, right, it's this, it's, it was this kind of this feeling out process of, "Oh, you know, like Ryan Lane and Daxon Rudolph, they're like, 'You know, we're gonna go to school, but when do we announce? We're still playing.

We'll wait till the season to be over so that we're not, like, hurting anyone's feelings in the dressing room.'" It's like, whose feelings are gonna get hurt? Like, American kids have been doing this forever.

You know, BCHL kids have been doing this forever.

The other major departure was Bowen Byram.

Byram was traded to Chicago, along with Jordan Greenway, for number four overall, which Buffalo kept and selected Daxon Rudolph with, number 45 overall, which Buffalo did not keep, and Louis Crevier.

Byram then signed a ludicrous six by $12.5 million extension with Chicago, which begins in 2027-28.

To be clear, whenever we mention contract values, it'll be AAV, not total term or total dollar value.

But still, good time to sell.

Sounds like he kind of wanted to go.

I will confess, I don't know too much about Daxon Rudolph other than I wish he had fallen to New York in the draft.

Because then if there had been an outdoor game and he was cold, it could have been Daxon Rudolph, the red-nosed ranger.

Looking forward to hockey coming back soon.

How about you guys?

Super, super duper looking forward to it, especially after last year.

It should be an exciting Rangers season.

Enough with the slow skaters.

That's been such a theme that looking at some of the scouting of prospects and seeing, you know, good motor, strong skater.

I'm like, what? These guys are going to be on the Rangers? That's crazy.

It shouldn't happen.

Mr.

Fourth overall, Daxon Rudolph.

Oh, really? Again, has not touched any type of professional ice yet.

He's better than Zach Benson, who was drafted like 13th overall and played his rookie season that year.