Stanley, Schenn traded to Sabres by Jets

Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn were traded to the Buffalo Sabres by the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Winnipeg received forward Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for the two defensemen.

Stanley has 21 points, including an NHL career-high nine goals, in 59 games this season. He was also fifth on the Jets in hits (96) and fourth in blocks (69).

The 27-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $2.5 million contract ($1.25 million average annual value) he signed with Winnipeg on July 6, 2024, and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Selected by the Jets in the first round (No. 18) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Stanley has 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 261 regular-season games and four points (two goals, two assists) in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“We thank Logan for obviously all those years of service with us. And you know, kudos to him for kind of what he's been able to accomplish as a player this year," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said on Friday. "You know, everyone talks about, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that,’ and when they get the opportunity, maybe it passes them by and they don't take advantage of it. Logan certainly took advantage of the situation that was in front of him, and (we) told him that he should be really proud of that. ... Obviously, he's going into a different situation there where they're fighting for something that's real and right in front of them, and I wished him good luck in those regards."

Schenn has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 46 games this season. He led the Jets in hits (139), was sixth in blocks (54) and averaged 1:35 of short-handed time on ice per game.

The 36-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, $8.25 million contract ($2.75 million AAV) he signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1, 2023, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the No. 5 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Schenn has 212 points (45 goals, 167 assists) in 1,118 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Predators and Jets. He also has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 58 playoff games, including helping the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

“I'm super excited to have them as new teammates,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “... I'm super fired up. I'm not sure when they're coming, but they're going to be a huge part of our team, so I can't wait.”

The Sabres (37-19-6), who have won five in a row and are 26-5-2 since Dec. 9, are tied for first with Tampa Bay for first place in the Atlantic Division. They are attempting to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

“You look at the guys, all three of them (Buffalo also acquired forward Sam Carrick in a trade with the New York Rangers on Friday) bring us hardness, make us a tougher team to play against,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “... The two defensemen, both physical, strong around the net front, going to add tremendous depth and give us a lot of options.”

Rosen has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 16 NHL games this season. He also has 43 points (25 goals, 18 assists) in 37 games for Rochester of the American Hockey League.

The 22-year-old forward, who was selected by Buffalo in the first round (No. 14) of the 2021 NHL Draft, is in the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract he signed with the Sabres on May 31, 2022, and can become a restricted free agent after the season.

"For us, obviously, making some tough decisions is always the critical thing at this time," Cheveldayoff said. "I think the timeline of something like that when Buffalo, when things started to go, maybe sands shifted for them in the trade deadline. They contacted me yesterday and was very aggressive right from the beginning. And Isak Rosén is someone that we've had a lot of interest in. You know, obviously part of what you do in pro scouting is you look at all the teams and you try to project where their lineups, their rosters, where things might become available. Sometimes teams like those that have drafted high for a long period of time have lots of players that get blocked a little bit. So, we're real excited to have him. A younger player that will come right into our lineup. We've recalled him. He’ll remain with the Jets for the remainder of the season in that regard and get a real good opportunity to find his levels as a young player and spread his wings.”

Bryson has five points (two goals, three assists) in 35 games this season. The 28-year-old defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (No. 99) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Bryson has 48 points (six goals, 42 assists) in 289 regular-season games.

The Jets (25-26-10), who won the Presidents' Trophy last season, are sixth in the Central Division, seven points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

NHL.com independent correspondents Heather Engel and Darrin Bauming contributed to this report