The Buffalo Sabres hold the first overall pick in this Friday’s NHL Draft — only the third time in the franchise's 48-year history.

They're expected to take Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who would become the first-ever blueliner drafted first overall by the club.

The Sabres' first pick came in their inaugural season, and in typical Buffalo fashion, it was the result of an underdog victory.

Buffalo along with Vancouver were granted NHL franchises in late 1969. In an effort to give the new teams a bit of an on-ice boost, the NHL decided the first and second overall picks in the 1970 draft would be given to either team — the order of which would be decided by a roulette wheel.

Vancouver was given balls numbered 1-10, while Buffalo received 11-20. The NHL initially believed the wheel pointer landed on 1, giving the Canucks the pick — until Sabres GM George "Punch" Imlach asked to check again. As it turned out, the winning number had an extra digit: 11. The Sabres won the first overall pick, and the right to select future franchise legend Gilbert Perreault.

The number 11 would become arguably the most famous in team history, as Perreault would sport it on the back of his sweater for all of his 17 years in Buffalo.

Known for his graceful skating and rink-long rushes, Perreault would anchor one of the most famous lines in hockey history during his career: The French Connection. Joined by fellow French-Canadians Rick Martin and Rene Robert, the line would lead the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975, only the franchise’s fifth season in the league. All three would later have their numbers retired by the club, and were even given a statue outside the Sabres’ arena in 2012.

Perreault ranks first all-time in games played, goals, assists and points for the Sabres, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

A year after Perreault retired, the Sabres’ draft lottery luck would strike again, as they were awarded the first overall selection in 1987. The team would take Pierre Turgeon, another smooth-skating French-Canadian center in the vein of Perreault. Turgeon lived up to his nickname “Sneaky Pete,” quietly becoming one of the league’s young superstars while utilizing his ability to sneak behind the net and score goals from in-close.

While Turgeon racked up over a point per game in three straight seasons during his just-over four years in Buffalo, he’s best remembered in the Queen City for being included in a blockbuster deal for future Hall-of-Famer Pat LaFontaine, and legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret's call nearly every time he scored: "Ooh-la-la Pierre!"

Over 30 years later, after finishing last in the league in 2017-18, the Sabres are picking first again. If they take Dahlin, which is all but official, he has a lot to live up to, considering the résumés of his predecessors.

After an impressive showing at the NHL Scouting Combine held in Buffalo earlier this month, and his newfound affinity for chicken wings, it's almost a certainty Sabres fans will immediately embrace him — but how he performs on the ice remains to be seen.