Sabres acquire Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn from Winnipeg for Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen

Report: Sabres to acquire center Sam Carrick from New York Rangers

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday night after the Sabres' 5-1 win at Pittsburgh that the Sabres are set to acquire center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers, but a return to the Rangers was not initially reported.

buffalonews.com

The Buffalo Sabres are making moves for players who can further fortify an already strong defense.

The Sabres announced early Friday morning, about 14 hours before the NHL's 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, that they have acquired defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from the Winnipeg Jets for defenseman Jacob Bryson and forward Isak Rosen. The Jets also get a fourth-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

The Sabres announced the four-player trade after a 5-1 win at Pittsburgh. Shortly after the game, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Sabres are set to acquire center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers for a third-round pick in this year's NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in 2028.


Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley, right, checks Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson into the boards in the third period
of their game at KeyBank Center on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (Joed Viera/Buffalo News) Joed Viera/Buffalo News

The acquisitions of Schenn and Stanley come after the Sabres originally traded for St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko earlier in the week, but Parayko would not waive his no-trade clause.

The additions of Stanley and Schenn further deepen a tall, physical defensive corps.

Stanley is a 6-foot-7, left-shot defenseman who has nine goals and 12 assists with 96 hits and 69 blocked shots in 59 games. Schenn is a 6-foot-2, right-shot defenseman who is in his 18th NHL season. He has one goal and six assists and is a minus-11, but has blocked 54 shots and has 139 hits in 46 games with the Jets this season.

Conor Timmins, one of the Sabres' top shot blockers in the first two months of the season, has been out since Dec. 18 due to a broken leg, and Stanley and Schenn will provide reinforcement in that role for Mattias Samuelsson, who has blocked a team-high 121 shots.

Stanley is in the second year of a two-year contract that has an average annual value of $1.25 million. Schenn is also in the final year of his three-year contract, with an average annual value of $2.75 million, and TSN's Darren Dreger reported that the Jets would retain 50% of Schenn's salary.

The Jets get Rosen, a right wing and a former first-round pick who has 25 goals and 18 assists in 37 games with Rochester of the American Hockey League this season.

Bryson, a defenseman, has two goals and three assists in 35 games this season but has been a healthy scratch from the lineup in 10 of the Sabres' last 12 games. Rosen is in the final year of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $894,167 and Bryson is set to become a free agent after this season, on a one-year deal

Carrick, 34, has four goals and six assists in 60 games this season with the Rangers, and is in his 10th NHL season. Carrick would boost the Sabres' faceoff proficiency; he has a faceoff percentage of 53.9 this season (214/183), and a career faceoff percentage of 52%.

The Sabres are last in the NHL in faceoff percentage (44.8%)

The acquisition of Carrick would also boost the Sabres’ depth and versatility at center, given the fact that Josh Norris has played in only 24 of the Sabres’ 62 games this season due to various injuries, and that Jiri Kulich hasn’t played since the start of November due to blood clots.

Carrick is in the second year of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1 million.

The reported deal for Carrick comes two days after the Sabres were unable to acquire Robert Thomas, a center with the St. Louis Blues.

Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is scheduled to meet with reporters at 4 p.m. Friday at KeyBank Center.

 

[HipKat]

The Athletic: New York Rangers trading Sam Carrick to Sabres: Source​

New York Rangers trading Sam Carrick to Sabres: Source

Carrick has another year on his contract at $1 million average annual value.

www.nytimes.com

Sam Carrick has another year on his contract at $1 million average annual value. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

The New York Rangers have agreed to a trade that will send center Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Carrick has been informed of the deal, according to a league source. The return is Buffalo’s third-round pick and a sixth-round pick, which was originally Chicago’s, per a league source.

The teams have not yet made an official announcement.

The 34-year-old Carrick has been New York’s primary fourth-line center since signing ahead of the 2024-25 season. He has four goals and 10 points in 60 games this season and also brings some edge. He has fought seven times this season, more than any other Rangers player.

Carrick has another year on his contract at $1 million average annual value. The Rangers are in what president and general manager Chris Drury declared a “retool” in a January letter to fans.

“I signed here hoping to finish my contract here,” Carrick told The Athletic in the aftermath of the letter. “Having a family and stuff makes things a little bit more difficult if change is coming. But if it does, you deal with it.”

The center has previous playoff experience with the 2024 Edmonton Oilers: he was in and out of the team’s lineup during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. He had previously played with the Ducks and Maple Leafs and has 380 total games of NHL experience.

Carrick is from the Toronto area, so the trade brings him to the non-Maple Leafs team closest to his hometown.

What the trade means for the Sabres​

Carrick gives the Sabres some more depth in their bottom six. They’ve been without Justin Danforth for most of the season because of a broken kneecap, and he’s still dealing with some pain. Tyson Kozak, who has been a consistent presence in the bottom six, is day to day with an injury as well. He’s dealt with multiple injuries this season.

Carrick’s ability to play both center and wing gives the Sabres some lineup flexibility. And Sabres coach Lindy Ruff should be able to trust him defensively. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle, an area the Sabres have struggled with all season. He’s won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs in four straight seasons. No player on the Sabres who has taken at least 100 faceoffs this season has won more than 50 percent of them.

It doesn’t hurt that Carrick, 34, has some playoff experience and is a willing fighter. The Sabres are lacking a bit in both of those areas. Carrick has one year left on his contract after this one at $1 million per year, so he’s affordable depth. — Matthew Fairburn

What the trade means for the Rangers​

Carrick has been a dependable Ranger since signing a three-year, $3 million contract in the summer of 2024. He’s been a staple as their fourth-line center, a go-to penalty killer and a consistent source of toughness, whether it be through his play or willingness to drop the gloves with all-comers. The 34-year-old isn’t going to produce a ton of offense, with only 10 points (four goals and six assists) through 60 games this season, but he’s defensively sound and strong on the faceoff dot (53.9 percent).

New York valued him in that role, but it also has a logjam of bottom-six players — both veterans and prospects — and figured to offload at least one or two in the aftermath of team president Chris Drury’s Jan. 16 retool letter. Carrick emerged as the most valuable player they were willing to part with among that group and, therefore, the most likely to be traded.

The Rangers desperately need to restock their prospect pool and draft capital, with any little bit helping. They have internal options to take over the 4C spot, whether it be veterans such as Jonny Brodzinski and Justin Dowling or younger players such as Juuso Pärssinen and Dylan Roobroeck. Longer term, they view Carey Terrance — the prospect who was acquired as part of last year’s trade that sent Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks — as someone who’s being groomed for that role. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano

 

[HipKat]

The Athletic: Sabres acquire defensemen Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn in trade with Jets​

Sabres acquire defensemen Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn in trade with Jets

Buffalo is sending Winnipeg Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2026.

www.nytimes.com

Logan Stanley will help give the Sabres more depth on defense. Terrence Lee / Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets have traded defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a second-round pick in 2027 and the better of Buffalo’s two fourth-round picks in 2026. The Jets retained 50 percent of Schenn’s $2.75 million contract.

Stanley, 27, is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.25 million cap hit. The 6-foot-7 left-shot defenseman is known for his size and physicality, although he’s amid a surprising scoring surge. He has a career-best nine goals and 21 points in 59 games this season.

Schenn, 36, who will also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He has one goal and 7 points in 46 games this season. The 6-2, 225-pound right-shot defenseman played on Winnipeg’s third pair and was an obvious asset for the Jets to move on from, given their low playoff odds.

Both defensemen were held out from Winnipeg’s 4-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2029799641911320927

What it means for the Sabres​

The Sabres made a run at Colton Parayko, but he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to come to Buffalo. That would have been a massive addition. Without a similar caliber of player on the market, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen pivoted to cheaper options to address the Sabres’ need for more defensive depth. Buffalo has been leaning heavily on Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram to play the bulk of the minutes in most games. All four rank in the top 42 in minutes played for defensemen this season.

That’s why depth was important for the Sabres, who have a strong chance to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. There aren’t a lot of players in Buffalo’s dressing room with postseason experience. Stanley and Schenn will provide that. Schenn will be the Sabres’ oldest player, and they might not need him to play every game. His veteran presence will be valuable, though.

Stanley is an interesting addition because of his toughness. As talented as Buffalo’s blue line is, the group doesn’t have a player with Stanley’s physical edge. Deploying him in the right role and with the right partner will be important, but he should be able to provide decent depth. He might be a fit with Michael Kesselring, who is starting to get healthier after playing through a high-ankle sprain before the Olympic break. The Sabres’ defensive depth chart will be crowded with these additions, especially when Conor Timmins returns from injury. He has been out with a broken leg since December. — Matthew Fairburn, Sabres staff writer

Why Winnipeg moved Stanley and Schenn​

Stanley played a bigger role for Winnipeg after the Olympic break because of injuries to Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk, but he has primarily been a third-pairing defenceman during his Jets career. Winnipeg moved him because he has earned a raise that doesn’t fit into its budget on the left side, where Morrissey and Dylan Samberg are entrenched in first- and second-pairing roles.

Stanley was a valued Jets teammate and developed confidence to join Winnipeg’s attack, but concerns persist about his play in his own end. Puck management can be an issue, and his lack of agility can expose him in transition. There is also a reasonable expectation that his shooting percentage (12.2 percent) is unsustainably high, meaning he’s not likely to keep scoring at his current rate.

Schenn’s appeal comes from his playoff experience, winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, and his willingness to be physical in an effort to clear the crease in front of his goaltender. The veteran should be a plug-and-play option as a No. 7 or No. 8 defenseman on a team that intends to go deep. He’s better at breakout passes than his stay-at-home, physical reputation would suggest, but he struggles to keep pace in transition and is a nonfactor in the offensive zone. His absence opens a spot for prospect Elias Salomonsson to grow into a bigger role, helping future editions of the Jets in ways Schenn could not.

Winnipeg selected Stanley at No. 18 in 2016 after trading up from No. 22 and No. 36. He went on to play two more seasons in the OHL, two for Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose, and then six seasons for the Jets. Winnipeg protected Stanley in the Seattle expansion draft, indicating a belief in his potential to grow into a top-four defenseman. Though that hasn’t come to pass, Stanley’s offensive contributions and willingness to fight for his teammates turned the occasional boos he received at Canada Life Centre into cheers during 2025-26.

Winnipeg acquired Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2025 trade deadline for a second- and fourth-round pick, one day after the Penguins acquired him from the Nashville Predators as part of a larger trade. He played 11 playoff games for Winnipeg, in which the Jets were outscored 11-3 with him on the ice at five-on-five, a trend that continued during the regular season. — Murat Ates, Jets staff writer

What are the Jets getting in Bryson and Rosen?​

Bryson is a smooth skater and decent puck-mover, but at times, he hasn’t been able to hold up to the physical demands of playing the position in the NHL. Clearing out the front of the net has been an issue, and he was passed on the depth chart recently by Zach Metsa. With Buffalo adding two defensemen in this trade, Bryson likely would have been waived to make room on the roster.

Rosen is the bigger piece here for the Jets. The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t gotten a ton of time in the NHL yet. He still needs to add some weight to his frame, but he’s a quick skater with a strong defensive stick and high-end shooting talent. Playing strength will be a question, but Rosen has the skill set to become a middle-six winger in the NHL. He has been lighting up the AHL this season with 25 goals in 37 games. He also had three goals and four assists in the 16 NHL games he got in Buffalo this season. — Fairburn