Buffalo adds Schenn, Stanley, and Carrick in a pair of deals before Friday's trade deadline
The Buffalo Sabres remained the hottest team in the National Hockey League, pulling into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with Tampa Bay with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, and added three veterans for the stretch drive, acquiring defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets and center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers.
The Sabres broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and scored four unanswered goals to win their fifth straight coming out of the Olympic break and that coupled with the Lightning continuing to struggle with injuries have allowed Buffalo to pull even with the Lightning at 80 points, although Tampa Bay have two games in hand on the Sabres.
After the victory, the Sabres announced a deal with the Winnipeg Jets, adding rental defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn for winger Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, Buffalo’s 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 conditional fourth-round pick. Stanley, 27, has a career-high 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 59 games, while the much-travelled 36-year-old Schenn has played 46 games for Winnipeg this season after being acquired from Pittsburgh last March.
The deal was a pivot and backup plan by GM Jarmo Kekalainen after Blues defenseman Colton Parayko chose to not waive his no-trade clause to come to Buffalo Wednesday morning, but did not result in the quality of return from the negated deal with St. Louis. Stanley provides size and much-needed physicality to the Sabres, who tend to be pushed around by other clubs, and Schenn provides over 1100 games of NHL experience over his 18-year career, including a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Lightning.
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Bryson has been a dependable depth defenseman for the last six seasons for Buffalo and may get an opportunity to play regularly for the Jets for the remainder of the season, while Rosen is having another excellent year with AHL Rochester, but only this season has been given a chance to play higher in the lineup by the Sabres, posting seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 16 games. This season was the final year where the 22-year-old would be waiver exempt, so his inclusion in the trade was an admission that the organization did not see him as a fit in their current construct.
On Wednesday morning, the club confirmed a deal with the New York Rangers, reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Sabres added center Sam Carrick in exchange for their 2026 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. The 34-year-old can play center and wing, is known as an excellent penalty killing and face-off specialist, and for playing with some sandpaper. Carrick likely fits in as a fourth line center, allowing a more experienced option up the middle than Tyson Kozak.
The trade of four draft picks so far by Kekalainen is not of particular concern, since the Sabres are well stocked with young prospects selected over the last few years, and is a nod to the current club that there is a belief that Buffalo could make a playoff run in a wide-open Eastern Conference. With that boatload of prospects, it is also possible that Buffalo could still make another more impact move before 3 pm today.
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