The NHL and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula are holding a press conference on Monday night and many believe the announcement will have to do with the 2026 NHL Draft.
Buffalo will once again be hosting some of the league’s biggest prospects in the pre-draft combine, and now it appears as though they will be coming back here for the NHL Draft on June 26th and 27th.
The AP is reporting that a formal announcement will be made prior to the Sabres game against the Florida Panthers at 6pm. Terry Pegula, representatives from the NHL, and other team officials are expected to be in attendance.
The NHL will have a decentralized draft again
The NHL draft looks a little different from the NFL draft in the sense that it holds what they call a decentralized draft. So instead of all the team representatives coming to one centralized location to announce their picks, they will be making them from their own home markets. Many of the prospects and their families, however, will be coming to Buffalo.
Last year’s draft was held in Los Angeles. This will be the fourth time the Sabres have hosted the draft in Buffalo. The last time it happened was 2016.
The NHL’s biggest prospect for 2026
This year, the player that everyone will have their eyes on is Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. He’s been the favorite to be the top prospect for years now. He has been in the Canadian Hockey League but decided to leave after the NCAA lifted its longtime ban in making CHL players eligible to compete at the college ranks.
10 Richest NHL Contracts Of All TimeAs of September 30, 2025, when it was announced Kirill Kaprizov agreed to terms for a new 8-year contract with the Minnesota Wild, he became the player with the richest contract in NHL history. Other Minnesota Wild players are also among the top 10 in league history. Here’s a look.
Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper – TSM Duluth
Top 10 Most Underrated Buffalo Sabres of All-Time
Gallery Credit: Brett Alan