AP Photo Daxon Rudolph, center, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, Buffalo Sabres' Josh Doan, second from left, former Buffalo Bills player Thurman Thomas, second from right, and Buffalo Bills' Dion Dawkins, right, after being drafted by the Sabres during the NHL draft Friday in Buffalo.

BUFFALO — Friday night began as expected at the 2026 NHL draft.

Justin Bieber announced Gavin McKenna to the Toronto Maple Leafs at No. 1 overall, San Jose selected rock-star Swede Ivar Stenberg and Vancouver head coach Manny Malhotra picked his son, Caleb, third overall.

Then the Sabres took the stage and changed the direction of the draft.

Instead of taking Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds defenseman Chase Reid — the consensus No. 1 defender — or going with a center like Viggo Bjorck, Buffalo grabbed its guy, Prince Albert Raiders right-handed defenseman Daxon Rudolph.

For many fans, it might be upsetting to go with a little bit of a reach on a guy who is probably two seasons away from making an impact on the roster instead of trading the selection for a player who will help next season.

However, a move made by General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen earlier in the day to snag left-handed defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks for the 45th pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg filled the hole Bowen Byram’s departure has left, allowing for more patience on the blue line. More work will need to be done as far as filling the void Alex Tuch left on the top line, but on the draft floor the Sabres had the chance to take their guy.

Rudolph, Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff and Alberts Smits were expected to be the first grouping of defenders selected and Buffalo had the pick of the litter. With that they took a 6-foot-2.5, right-handed offensive defenseman in Rudolph who scored a whopping 28 goals and 50 assists for 78 points in 68 games for the Raiders in the Western Hockey League and then added another 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points in 19 playoff games to reach the WHL finals.

Rudolph has great offensive vision, moves his feet well for his size, but is underwhelming physically. He played for a great team in Prince Albert that did a lot of winning, and it will only get better when he joins the defending NCAA-champion University of Denver in the fall.

Rudolph headlines a stacked freshman class for the Pioneers where he will be forced to work on all areas of his game, preparing him to be a two-way defender that can step in for the Sabres by as soon as the end of the 2026-27 season, but more likely the following year.

There was some movement between Buffalo’s picks at No. 4 and 20, but the Sabres were not involved as they kept their second pick. With no surprise, Buffalo grabbed the youngest player in college hockey, University of Miami (Ohio) freshman Ilia Morozov.

Kekalainen was predictable and added a capable Russian to the Sabres system and Morozov has all the tools to become a third-line center with many two-way qualities. The pick is a safe bet for the NHL, but it would have been nice to see the Sabres take a swing on someone with more offensive upside to head the prospect pool at the forward position.