The Buffalo Sabres were already surging towards a playoff berth when they made a notable addition in March.
They acquired center Sam Carrick in a trade with the New York Rangers for a pair of draft picks. It paid off early during their playoff push with Carrick providing both a physical element to the roster that was missing with Jordan Greenway injured and some faceoff acumen.
The center had eight hits and four blocks early on in his Buffalo tenure, and seemed poised to be a factor during their playoff run. That was derailed due to a late-season injury and he only played one game during the postseason.
Sabres fans were hopeful he would return this season strong after bouncing back from injury. However he seems to have gotten bogged down in the crowded fourth line.
Injuries and finding a way on the ice has been an issue. But when on the ice, Carrick has not distanced himself from the rest of the pack.
His physicality is still evident with 18 hits in limited time but he needs to do more than that if he wishes to find a decent spot in that bottom line, or move up to third.
Getting past a player such as Josh Norris or Ryan McLeod does not seem likely for Carrick despite those centers' struggles, so it'll be tough to find a more permanent spot in the lineup.
Carrick may be physical but finding offensive outputs has been a struggle thus far this season for the team at large. The Sabres need more prominent goal scorers on the second and third line if they want to move up in the standings.
Sam Carrick is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 NHL season
If he stays inconsistent offensively and continues to get lost in the fourth line the Sabres may look to trade him, perhaps as part of a larger high-profile move to get another offensive weapon, before his contract comes to an end.
Carrick has been dealt several times before in his career. He is a veteran and could be a viable asset to a young roster. But he needs to find a place outside of a crowded depth chart.
He is the same boat with fellow center Tyson Kozak. Both have missed time due to injuries and both are used for speical teams with the team. Carrick has more experience but they both are getting lost on the roster.
For Carrick, he has demonstrated how much value he can bring to the team. But that was last season. Now this year is different.
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