Sabres won't raise for Kane

The chances of it happening were about as remote as Mike Tyson winning the Lady Byng, but any local puckheads out there holding out hope the Sabres would trade up to acquire Patrick Kane in this month's draft can forget about it.

The blue-chip forward from South Buffalo, who many are predicting will be the No. 1 overall selection and scant few think will last beyond the second pick, told me today at the NHL combine in Toronto that of the 12 teams to schedule interviews with him, his hometown team wasn't among them. If the Sabres were hatching any dramatic plot to try and nab Kane, their scouts certainly would have taken the opportunity to sit him down.

Kane expressed disappointment as he revealed this, but he also knows the reality of the situation. The Sabres don't have a first-round pick because they traded it along with Jiri Novotny to the Capitals for Dainius Zubrus. And even if the Sabres did have a first-round pick, they still would need to climb significantly to have taken a shot at Kane, almost certainly about to become the highest-drafted player out of Western New York.

Kane had 62 goals and 145 points in 58 regular-season games for London of the OHL. He added 10 goals and 31 points in 16 playoff games and was fabulous for the U.S. in the World Junior Championships.

---Tim Graham

Comments

[Ross]

remember the bills didnt go to willis's predraft try out either they already knew what was going to happen

[Chuck Sheen]

They could always do a video interview,that way the scouts wouldn't have to leave their TV watching duties.