‘They’ve earned all the help we can give them’ | Kekäläinen, Sabres tool up for stretch run

The NHL trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. Friday, and the Buffalo Sabres have four new players on the way.

Early Friday morning, the Sabres acquired defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets and forward Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers. And right before the deadline, they reconnected with the Jets to add forward Tanner Pearson.

Here’s a summary of the team’s moves.

IN: D Logan Stanley, D Luke Schenn, F Sam Carrick, F Tanner Pearson

OUT: D Jacob Bryson, F Isak Rosen, 2027 2nd-round pick, 2026 3rd-round pick, 2026 4th-round pick, 2026 6th-round pick, 2026 7th-round pick

• Carrick trade: Full details
• Stanley and Schenn trade: Full details
• Pearson trade: Full details

Tied for the Atlantic Division lead, the Sabres have put themselves in great position for a playoff appearance, and they expect these additions to help them play deep into the spring.

“With their play, with their work ethic, with their compete, they’ve earned all the help we can give them as management,” general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said. “I think we tried our best to do that, and I think we accomplished a lot of things.”

• Read | ‘Fired up’ to be buyers, Sabres react to deadline pickups

Here are the biggest takeaways from Kekäläinen's first trade deadline as Sabres GM.

Full press conference

Loading up on depth

The Sabres will play their last 20 games in 40 days, and the schedule is nearly as busy during the playoffs.

“Players are going to get banged up, and it’s very, very important in my mind to have depth,” Kekäläinen said. “Especially on the D side – that’s probably the most crucial position to have depth in – but also on the forward side.”

They now have 15 forwards and eight defensemen at their disposal. That doesn’t include blueliner Conor Timmins, who’s still working his way back from a broken leg.

‘Trees’ on defense

Kekäläinen feels Stanley (6-foot-7, 231 pounds) and Schenn (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) will nicely complement Buffalo’s existing blue line.

“We have a lot of skill on our defense, mobility, ability to join the rush, offensive-minded defensemen,” he said, “so I think we can really use the defensive side of things with the big two ‘trees’ that we got in these trades.”

As the Sabres have been winning, players have started getting nasty with them; in the past week alone, Rasmus Dahlin has taken dirty slashes from Brayden Point and Evgeni Malkin. The team has defended its captain admirably, but the towering Stanley might be more of a deterrent, now.

“Teams try to test us a little bit,” Kekäläinen said. “They try to push us around, and I think we added some elements that that’s not gonna happen so easily anymore.”

Trade talks with St. Louis

It was widely reported that the Sabres were talking to the St. Louis Blues about forward Robert Thomas and/or defenseman Colton Parayko. In Parayko’s case, reports said the veteran exercised his no-trade clause to cancel an agreed-upon trade.

Kekäläinen wouldn’t comment on that “unfinished business,” or on Parayko’s reasons for declining a reported trade, but he made his pitch for why Buffalo should be a destination for NHL players:

“It's disappointing to see somebody thinking it’s got something to do with the City of Buffalo. I've been here since June, and I've loved every second of it. We have a great hockey team that's winning games and a fun atmosphere, electric building, and I would think that our players are loving it here.

“I think the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres deserve a lot of respect right now with the way we're playing and competing, and that's it. … Keep winning, and I think it'll become a destination.”

Tuch stays put

As expected, the Sabres held onto alternate captain Alex Tuch despite his status as a pending unrestricted free agent.

“I told his agent that we're not going to make our team weaker,” Kekäläinen said. “If we don't get a deal done by the trade deadline, we're not trading him, and we didn't, because we want to strengthen our team. … So, now we're going to continue those talks and hopefully get a deal done before July 1."

Contract uncertainty hasn’t seemed to affect the winger’s play, judging by his 53 points (25+28) and superb penalty killing through 61 games.

“He's been a good teammate, a good pro,” the GM continued. “I don't think I could ask for anything more from Alex Tuch."

Kulich, other updates

Forward Jiri Kulich, out since Nov. 1 because of a blood clot, continues non-contact skating but is unlikely to return this season.

“Our main concern, obviously, is his well-being and long-term health, and second, when he can be back as a hockey player,” Kekäläinen said. “… I think that the doctors are hopeful this will get resolved before we prepare for next season.”

Jordan Greenway (middle body) and Justin Danforth (broken kneecap) are progressing slowly in their recoveries, and the timelines for their returns are unclear.

Defenseman Zach Metsa, an unexpected contributor for these Sabres, was loaned to Rochester in a paper transaction before the deadline. He’ll remain with the NHL club for now, but the move made him eligible to join the Amerks for the Calder Cup Playoffs.