BREAKING: Buffalo Sabres Select Radim Mrkta 9th Overall, MASSIVE Pairing With Rasmus Dahlin Coming?

BREAKING: Buffalo Sabres Select Radim Mrkta 9th Overall, MASSIVE Pairing With Rasmus Dahlin Coming?

the pick is in the Buffalo Sabres have made their first selection in the 2025 NHL draft i’m Rachel Donner joined now by Joe Debiosi of Locked on Sabres and the Buffalo Sabres have selected Radim Mertka defenseman with their ninth overall pick are you surprised by this pick Joe i am not really surprised by this pick i did hear on the broadcast that they were a little bit because I could very well see anybody look at the Buffalo Sabres and look at their roster and say they have Rasmus Dalene they have Owen Power for now they still have Bow and Byum there’s no trade yet they just acquired a defenseman yesterday in a big trade or earlier this week in Michael Kessle ring they’ve got a lot of good defensemen but the reason I am not surprised is if you go down into the organizational depth chart for the Buffalo Sabres they have almost nothing on the blue line in the AHL and at the junior level that you would project to becoming a full-time NHL maybe they get lucky with somebody like that but I think that Rad Murka immediately becomes the number one Saber defensive prospect in the organization and past the guys at the NHL level they really didn’t have a lot coming in the pipeline so I’m not that surprised by this pick yeah he’s objectively the second best defenseman in this draft which is not too shabby to add to your system for sure is there a particular part of his skill set that you’re excited to add to this prospect pool
i actually my my biggest excitement is he sounds and appears to be a very good puckmoving defenseman somebody that could have some offensive upside a player that could play big minutes at the NHL level he’s a right shot defenseman and those come at a premium in the NHL it’s always talked about how there are more kids coming up playing lefty than righty so I think that’s a premium for him as well the other part of Murka that I think the Sabres would emphasize is that he’s big and he is physical 6’6 this is a team that has been pushed around one of their worst moments of their season was their best player getting knocked to the ice and nobody coming to his defense and I think you’re seeing a continuation this off season of the Sabres going for players that are not going to get pushed around and I think 6’6 already at his age he’s definitely fitting that profile yeah I think he could definitely fill out a little bit but that will absolutely come with time and I think that he’s on a really good development path so when would you expect to get him at the Sabres level
i think he’s at least a two to threeyear player probably three more towards the three-year timeline um in terms of some of the raw skills I do think that you know the the physicality is there but as you mentioned him filling out his body a little bit more i think he’s going to have to be somewhat of a of a physical player when he arrives at the NHL level and sometimes we’re kind of witnessing this right now with Owen Power he’s able to get away with it because he’s got so many other skills but he doesn’t quite have his man strength yet at 6’5 he’s trying he’s putting time in in the weight room but he’s not quite there physically so with this player I think it might be a little bit more important for him to have that before he becomes an impact player at the NHL level so if you had me guess right now I would say he’ll go two years of development and then maybe that third year is when we finally see him in Buffalo well for more on defenseman Roden Murka here is Locked on NHL prospects how has Radi Murka established himself as the clear top right shot defenseman available on draft day in the NHL i’m Sebastian High from Locked on NHL Prospects ready to give you a breakdown of his game murka is a 6’6 218 pound rightot defenseman a June 9th birthday he’s young for this draft class and he made a midseason switch from playing pro hockey in Czecha to coming to the WHL to play with the Seattle Thunderbirds and in 43 games he scored three goals and 35 points the offensive game really blossomed as the year wore on but you’d be taking a swing on him on draft day because you believe in his physicality his mobility and his high-end defensive intelligence this is a really good shutdown defenseman he has some flashes of Marcus Patterson and Gustaf Forling in his game and could become a number two defenseman in the NHL someday needing probably three years to crack the league for more on Murka and all things NHL draft make sure to follow us at Locked on NHL Prospects on YouTube or wherever you find your podcast and for continued coverage of Rody Murka and the rest of the Sabres picks in this year’s draft check out Locked on Sabres on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts part of the Locked On Podcast Network your team every day

The Buffalo Sabres have added a monstrous piece to their defensive future at the 2025 NHL Draft, selecting towering blueliner Radim Mrkta with the 9th overall pick!

Standing at an impressive 6’6″ and over 200 lbs, Mrkta possesses a rare combination of elite size and surprisingly good mobility for a defenseman his stature. He’s a shutdown specialist who excels at using his long reach to disrupt plays, defend the net, and make strong first passes. Paired with Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo could have one of the biggest defensive pairings in the NHL.

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