ORCHARD PARK – The Sabres this afternoon traded defenseman Connor Clifton and the 39th overall pick in the NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defensemen Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau.
Timmins, 26, has compiled six goals, 46 points and 64 penalty minutes in 159 career NHL games with the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.
The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Timmins registered three goals, 15 points and 30 penalty minutes in 68 games last season with the Penguins and Leafs. He grew up about 30 miles from KeyBank Center in St. Catherines, Ontario.
The right-shot defender is set to become a restricted free agent Tuesday.
Belliveau, 26, has spent the last two seasons with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Belliveau compiled one goal, seven points and 34 penalty minutes in 22 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season.
Moving Clifton, who’s entering the final season of a three-year, $10 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2023, creates $3.33 million in salary cap space.
Clifton, 30, brought an edge to Buffalo’s blue line, leading the team in hits in each of his two seasons, registering 204 and 208, respectively.