The Buffalo Sabres added depth to their lineup on trade deadline day. Buffalo is bringing in center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Additional forward help is arriving in Tanner Pearson from the Jets for a seventh-round pick. On the blueline, the Sabres added two more Winnipeg players, Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley. Going to the Jets in the deal are forward Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Asking prices were high for the 2026 trade deadline. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen took two bigger swings earlier in the week with the St. Louis Blues.
When separate deals involving Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko didn’t reach the finish line, the Sabres quickly pivoted to the depth additions.
With the moves, the Sabres did give up draft capital and a top prospect in Rosen, with a focus on this season and the club returning to the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. Stanley and Schenn will take some of the heavy minutes burden away from the likes of Bowen Byram, Mattius Samuelsson, and Owen Power, and give the team reinforcements in the event of injuries.
Carrick is a solid fourth-line center who will bring much-needed help in the faceoff dot. In Pearson, the Sabres have a two-way winger who can chip in offensively.
The focus of this deadline is on strengthening the group heading into a demanding stretch of games ahead.
“We have a lot of faith in this group”, said Kekalainen. “The way they’ve been playing, the way they’re competing, the way they’re having fun. So we wanted to reward the group as well to show them that we have that faith and we want to help them and bring in some players in different areas that we needed”.
“I think we addressed those needs, and we’re a stronger team because of it. “
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