BUFFALO – As the 3 p.m. trade deadline approaches, here’s what the Sabres have done:
So far, they’ve made two deals, acquiring defensemen Luke Schenn, 36, and Logan Stanley, 27, from the Winnipeg Jets and center Sam Carrick, 34, from the New York Rangers
“All three of them bring us hardness, make us a tougher team to play against,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said following this afternoon’s practice in KeyBank Center. “In Carrick’s case, a good faceoff guy. The two defensemen, both physical, strong around the net front. We’re going to have tremendous depth. They give us a lot of options.”
Update: The Sabres have acquired winger Tanner Pearson, 33, from Winnipeg in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2026.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said during his availability this afternoon the Sabres had made one more trade.
The 6-foot-1, 207-pound Pearson has compiled 157 goals, 325 points and 263 penalty minutes in 774 career games with the Jets, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014.
Pearson has recorded seven goals, 13 points and 25 penalty minutes in 52 games this season.
– The Sabres dealt forward prospect Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a second-round pick in 2027 to Winnipeg in exchange for Schenn, a right shot, and Stanley, a left shot.
The newcomers infuse the Sabres’ back end with experience, size and toughness. Ruff said they might not be available to play until next week.
The Sabres are the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Schenn’s 10th NHL team. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Schenn has compiled 45 goals, 212 points and 884 penalty minutes in 1,184 games over his 18-year career.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-7, 231-pound Stanley has spent his entire career with the Jets.
Stanley has recorded 14 goals, 57 points and 304 penalty minutes in 261 career games. He has set career highs across the boards this season – nine goals, 21 points and 99 penalty minutes – in 59 games. He’s shooting 12.2 percent this season.
“If you watch how he plays, the way he handles the puck is really the way play,” Ruff said. “The way he shoots it fits our game. On top of that, you’ve got a guy that will fight anybody in this league and look after a teammate.”
Ruff said that shot is “an absolute bomb.”
– The Sabres sent a two 2026 picks – a third-rounder and a sixth-rounder that belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks – to the Rangers in exchange for Carrick.
Carrick’s acquisition addresses perhaps their biggest need, giving them a stud in the faceoff dot. He has won 53.9 percent of his draws this season and 52 percent over his career.
Center Tyson Kozak, the Sabres’ top faceoff man, has won 49.3 percent of his draws this season.
The 6-foot, 202-pound Carrick has compiled 38 goals, 83 points, 427 penalty minutes and a minus-38 rating in 380 career NHL games with the Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers.
Ruff said Carrick is on his way to Buffalo and could play Saturday afternoon against the Nashville Predators.