 Sakaruk was drafted in the second round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft at #21 overall by the New York Rangers.At the time, the Rangers had established NHL defencemen such as Brad Park, Rod Seiling, Jim Neilson and Dale Rolfe, making it difficult to crack the Rangers roster.Ultimately, he was sent to the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Reds, at the start of the 1972–73 NHL season.