Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff put his players through a practice Friday morning while waiting to see whether they'll have any more new teammates before the NHL trade deadline, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The Sabres acquired center Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers and a pair of defensemen, Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, from the Winnipeg Jets following Thursday night's 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Buffalo approached the deadline as a clear buyer for the first time in ages as it owns a tie for the Atlantic Division lead with the Tampa Bay Lighting at 80 points. The Blue and Gold have 20 games left in the regular season as they attempt to clinch their first playoff berth since 2011.
Sam Carrick could debut Saturday vs. Nashville Predators
Ruff confirmed Carrick is en route to Buffalo and could play his first game as a Sabre on Saturday when Buffalo hosts Nashville at the KeyBank Center, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
The 34-year-old center recorded 10 points (four goals and six assists), 86 hits, 53 penalty minutes and 29 blocked shots in 60 games for the Rangers this season. He's also won 53.9% of his faceoffs, which will provide a boost for a Sabres squad that ranks last in the NHL in that category.
Carrick figures to take over as Buffalo's full-time fourth-line center. In addition, there's a chance he'll join the club's second penalty-killing unit.
His arrival means Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak, who's missed the last few games because of injury, will likely move into reserve roles.
Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn may be delayed arrivals
Stanley and Schenn will have to go through the visa process as they move from a Canadian team to an American one, which usually takes a little bit of time. Ruff projected the defenders probably won't be available for the Sabres until sometime next week, according to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
Here's a look at how they've performed for the Jets this season:
- Stanley: nine goals, 12 assists, 96 hits, 69 blocked shots in 59 games
- Schenn: one goal, six assists, 139 hits, 54 blocked shots in 46 games
Stanley is probably heading for a regular spot on the third pair, at least unless Conor Timmins is cleared to return from injury. Luke Schenn may split playing time with Michael Kesselring. Those four will fight for the two spots on the bottom pair in the playoff lineup.
Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram will continue to soak up most of the minutes on the Buffalo blue line.
Rumor mill has gone quiet for the Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres gave up prospect Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson and four NHL draft picks (2026 3rd, 2026 4th, 2026 6th and 2027 2nd) to complete the deals with New York and Winnipeg. That leaves plenty of valuable assets to pursue other trades.
So far, it doesn't sound like general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is closing in on any blockbusters.
Buffalo previously made a push for Robert Thomas and/or Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues. The discussions for Thomas ultimately fell short, however, and Parayko opted to use his no-trade clause to block a move to Western New York.
If there aren't any buzzer-beating moves before the deadline, it may be viewed as an underwhelming deadline by the Sabres given their status as newly minted contenders in the Eastern Conference. Yet, adding depth was crucial and they were able to get that done.
Keeping their top prospects, led by Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka, along with all of their first-round picks is a perfectly fine outcome for the Blue and Gold.