First look at Buffalo Sabres' forward lines, defense pairs after NHL trade deadline

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen wrapped up his first trade deadline leading the Buffalo Sabres front office with the addition of four players: center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers and three members of the Winnipeg Jets, forward Tanner Pearson and defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.

The Sabres weren't able to secure a blockbuster deal despite making a strong push to land St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas in the days leading up to Friday's deadline. Kekalainen will probably circle back on a high-profile forward acquisition over the summer.

Buffalo did bring in some much-needed depth as the team continues to make serious progress toward finally ending the franchise's 14-year playoff drought, the longest such streak in NHL history.

The Sabres are currently tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the Atlantic Division at 80 points, though the Bolts have two games in hand. Head coach Lindy Ruff's group owns a 99% chance of reaching the postseason, per HockeyStats.com.

Let's check out how the Blue and Gold could line up across the final 20 games of the regular season and into the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sabres' projected forward lines

Carrick immediately slots in as Buffalo's fourth-line center, and he'll probably play a role on the team's second penalty-killing unit, as well. His success in the faceoff circle (53.8% over the past three seasons) will provide a key boost in that area.

Zach Benson has been skating on the fourth line since his return from injury. That should change soon as he climbs back into the top six, while Peyton Krebs, who doesn't bring enough offensive value to play on the first line, reverts back to the bottom of the lineup.

Beyond that, these are mostly the lines Ruff has leaned on since the Sabres returned from the NHL's break for the Winter Olympics. It's a deep group with the top nine featuring ample offensive talent to maintain consistent pressure on opponents.

Buffalo could eventually get Jordan Greenway and Justin Danforth back from injuries to provide more bottom-six depth. Pearson, Tyson Kozak and Josh Dunne hold those roles for now.

The question mark is Jiri Kulich. The 21-year-old forward showed a lot of promise as a rookie last season, but he's been sidelined since early November because of a blood clot.

It's unclear whether Kulich will be able to return before season's end. If he does, that's another top-nine option for Ruff as the longtime coach begins to plan out his playoff lines.

Buffalo's predicted defense pairs

Kekalainen tried to take a big swing for Blues defenseman Colton Parayko in the days leading up to the deadline, but the 2019 Stanley Cup champion used his no-trade clause to block a move to Buffalo.

The Sabres pivoted to Stanley and Schenn. Although they won't make the same type of impact as Parayko, they bring a over 1,450 games of combined NHL experience, including 58 playoff appearances for Schenn and 17 for Stanley.

Buffalo's new defensive duo will with compete with Kesselring, who's struggled to overcome an ankle injury throughout the season, for playing time. Conor Timmins, who played a key role on the team's penalty kill early in the campaign, should eventually return to join the third-pair competition.

Having four legitimate options for two lineup spots should ensure the Blue and Gold are prepared to overcome any injuries down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Ruff will continue to lean heavily on the top-four group of Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power and Byram to handle most of the defensive minutes. That quartet has been nothing short of outstanding throughout the club's extended hot streak.

Sabres' expected goalie depth chart

Luukkonen and Lyon have been evenly splitting the starts since Buffalo returned from the NHL's break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. It's been working well as the club has won all five games and hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of those contests.

So, Ruff will likely maintain the 50-50 share of the crease unless another injury arises or one of those two netminders starts to suffer a dip in performance.

Although Ellis has often been operating as the backup on game nights, allowing UPL or Lyon to receive a full night off rather than sitting on the bench in full pads, he may not see any starts until the Sabres officially clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Devon Levi, the organization's top goalie prospect, was mentioned in trade rumors leading up to the deadline but wasn't ultimately dealt. He'll remain the starter for the AHL's Rochester Americans.