When Jarmo Kekalainen was named general manager in mid-December, all eyes seemed to turn to the NHL Trade Deadline. This was going to be the first real test for the new general manager to see what he could do to help the team.
However, over that time period the Buffalo Sabres have shown they didn't need much help and have been one of the best teams in the NHL over roughly the past three months. That didn't stop Kekalainen from trying to make a splash and heavily pursued center Robert Thomas and defenseman Colton Parayko.
Neither of those trades was able to come together, but the night before the trade deadline, the Sabres were able to make two moves that made this roster much deeper. They would add a third right before the deadline on Friday afternoon to complete Jarmo Kekalainen's first trade deadline as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres.
Sam Carrick is a 10-year veteran with four different teams, spending the last two with the New York Rangers and in 140 games had 10 goals and 20 assists with an average ice time of just over 11 minutes.
He has primarily been a fourth-line player but where he can be a big help is in the faceoff circle. For a majority of the season, Tyson Kozak and Peyton Krebs have served in that role and both are under 50%. Meanwhile, Carrick has a career average of 52% but over the past two seasons has been above 54%.
This is not necessarily a flashy move but one that adds value and makes the fourth line stronger. The fact that it cost only two draft picks, this is an easy win for Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres Grade: B+
The big trade that the Sabres made before the deadline was with the Winnipeg Jets where they added two defensemen in Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn. Both of these players address a big need for the Sabres, starting with Stanley.
He is a big defenseman at 6'7" and is currently having a career-season with nine goals and a career high in ice time at 17:12. The Sabres won't need him to play as much and bringing his minutes down to 13 or 14 minutes is probably the perfect spot for Stanley.
Stanley is a left-handed defenseman who should slot in nicely on that third pair with a competition now created on the right side. The Sabres will probably start Michael Kesselring there but if he struggles, they could have Conor Timmins (when he is ready to return) or even the other defenseman they acquired, Luke Schenn, in that spot.
Ideally, it would be Kesselring and Timmins, as Schenn is an older player and probably shouldn't be relied on as much. However, he is a veteran voice who has Stanley Cup experience for this locker room, which was something that was lacking.
This trade will naturally be compared to the Colton Parayko, but that is not the right way to look at this deal. The Sabres didn't give up big assets as they would have in Parayko and moved Isak Rosen and Jacob Bryson. Neither player was going to make an impact down the stretch as Bryson moved too far down the depth chart and Rosen had no clear path to meaningful NHL minutes.
When considering both Stanley and Schenn are also in the final year of their contracts, there isn't any long-term commitment, either, like there would have been with Parayko. This is a move that easily can return more value than what the Sabres gave up, and that's why it received the grade it did.
Buffalo Sabres Grade: A-
As has been the theme this trade deadline, the Buffalo Sabres third and final trade was with the Winnipeg Jets again as they traded a seventh-round pick for forward Tanner Pearson. Pearson is a 13-year veteran who joined the Jets this season after one season stops with the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights.
This season, Pearson has appeared in 52 games with 13 points and a +/- of +7 while averaging about 11 minutes of ice time per game. He is a player who also brings some Stanley Cup experience as he won a Stanley Cup a little over a decade ago with the Los Angeles Kings.
He is a player that probably won't see much ice time unless there is an injury but is another great backup plan to have on the roster if that scenario were to arise. For only a seventh-round pick, it is another solid move that should provide value, especially in the playoffs.