Draft notebook

The Colorado Avalanche traded centre Ryan O’Reilly and left wing Jamie McGinn to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenceman Nikita Zadorov, forwards Mikhail Grigorenko and J.T. Compher and a second-round pick in the NHL draft. The move Friday for the trio of young players and the 31st overall selection Saturday comes just days after Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic insisted that re-signing O’Reilly to a long-term deal was his “first priority.” O’Reilly, 24, had 17 goals and 38 assists last season and 28 goals and 36 assists the year before. Zadorov was Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2013. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenceman gives the Avalanche a big defensive presence they’ve been looking for.

By trading Robin Lehner to the Sabres, the Ottawa Senators solved their crowded-crease problem, shed a contract and picked up another first-round pick in the NHL draft. The Senators got the 21st pick Friday night for Lehner and centre David Legwand in the first big deal of the weekend. General manager Bryan Murray held out for the first-rounder and could be satisfied about the return for the sought-after 23-year-old goaltender. “We think Robin’s going to be a good goaltender in the league,” Murray said Friday afternoon. “Surely the preference would’ve been to send him elsewhere other than in our own division, we know that. But that was the best deal, and it was a deal that I ended up making as a result.” Dealing Lehner or Craig Anderson became a necessity after Andrew Hammond’s unbelievable second-half success. Once the “Hamburglar” had a new contract, Murray knew he had to deal one of his other goalies, and Lehner ultimately attracted more interest than Anderson.