On the ice, the Sabres rolled up their fifth-straight win, drawing even with Tampa Bay at the top of the Atlantic Division entering Friday. Meanwhile, Kekäläinen has been big game hunting. It was reported Tuesday that the Sabres and Blues wear nearing an agreement to send Robert Thomas to Buffalo. When that deal fell apart, Kekäläinen went back to the well and agreed to a deal to acquire Colton Parayko. Though Parayko ultimately vetoed the deal, it’s clear that Kekäläinen is ready to put his stamp on Buffalo’s roster.
Friday’s deadline will be different than Sabres fans have experienced in quite some time. Aside from the 2023 deadline when the Sabres were quiet but brought in Jordan Greenway and Riley Stillman, and the bizarre 2020 deadline, the Sabres haven’t been anything close to a buyer since their last playoff berth. It’s going to be different this time around.
Even though he fell short on Thomas and Parayko, Kekäläinen appears to have gotten his first two pieces of deadline business complete. As reported by Chad DeDominicis, the Sabres are acquiring both Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from Winnipeg. They’re also bringing in Sam Carrick from the Rangers.
All three are depth additions with varying levels of impact. Chad did a great job laying out some of Schenn and Stanley’s red flags. Neither have especially strong defensive underlying numbers, for defensemen who would be expected to fill that role. Stanley is enjoying a career-high shooting percentage run that’s led him to nearly double his career goal output in one season. I do have some faith that Stanley will be a serviceable option in a sheltered, depth role for the Sabres. His microstats show that he’ll need a partner who is adept in transition to help alleviate the weak points in his game. The Sabres are well equipped to put Stanley in a place to succeed as the top four won’t be disrupted and he’ll slot in with Michael Kesselring on the third pair and enjoy sheltered deployment while giving the Sabres another towering blueliner.
Strictly looking at Schenn’s metrics makes his inclusion hard to square beyond his influence as a Good Locker Room guy. I find it hard to believe he’s a more effective option that Zach Metsa on the ice but he has a pedigree as a veteran leader and with the overall youth of Buffalo’s roster, I don’t think you need to look hard for their reasoning on adding Schenn.
Ideally, Schenn will spend more time in the room and in the press box than he will on the ice while Stanley will do the heavier lifting of the pair acquired from Winnipeg.
Buffalo ships out Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a 2nd and 4th round pick in exchange for the pair of defensemen. A fair enough price in a defenseman market that has exploded over the last five days. The price is certainly a song compared to Radim Mrtka and a 1st round pick. Rosen was blocked by several other prospects and veterans on extensions. He’s been an ideal trade chip for some time now and it’s nice to see a GM find a way to get a return for him. He ought to get a better look in Winnipeg than he was in Buffalo, which makes him a great addition for the Jets. Learning that Schenn comes at 50% retained explains the extra draft pick. It is what it is. No premium assets were included in the deal meaning there’s still room for more work.
Carrick has some promising defensive underlyings and his 53.9% faceoff percentage makes him the Sabres most effective centerman at the dot. He looks to be the precise sort of bottom six forward the Sabres would benefit from adding. He provides some defensive responsibility, can eat some defensive draws while relegating less reliable options to the press box or Rochester. The return for the Rangers is a 3rd and 6th round pick. Using the Nic Dowd pick as a barometer, it’s an adequate price to pay.
Looking ahead to Friday morning, the lone question remaining is if Kekäläinen is finished? He was big game hunting earlier in the week but with Parayko’s refusal and the acquisition of Stanley and Schenn, there isn’t any more need for defensive reinforcements. Carrick shores up the fourth line nicely, leaving only a more significant addition higher in the lineup.
Buffalo’s top three lines are all fairly set in stone. That doesn’t mean they won’t aim for another deal, but it strikes me that the Sabres wouldn’t be chasing down another rental. Rather, something closer to the Robert Thomas deal; a needle mover with term, would be a logical target. That’s a tall ask, but considering Kekäläinen’s work early in the week, I’m not ruling it out entirely. Considering all of the available information, I would suspect the Sabres try to make that deal in the summer.
If Thursday night’s action is all Kekäläinen has up his sleeve, his first deadline will have been underwhelming. Don’t take that to mean disappointment, simply underwhelming. A pair of depth defensemen and a fourth line winger aren’t being mistaken for blockbusters. The Sabres didn’t need to swing for the fences. They have a team that’s performing well, driven by strong five-on-five scoring and a set of top four defensemen that have been tremendous. Too much tinkering could have had a negative effect (although Schenn and Stanley’s underlying numbers could do plenty of damage).
Purely from the perspective of entertainment, another deal or two from the Sabres would make Friday much more enjoyable. But when you consider Buffalo’s needs, Kekäläinen may have checked all the necessary boxes.
It’s been a hell of a week for Jarmo Kekäläinen and the Buffalo Sabres.
On the ice, the Sabres rolled up their fifth-straight win, drawing even with Tampa Bay at the top of the Atlantic Division entering Friday. Meanwhile, Kekäläinen has been big game hunting. It was reported Tuesday that the Sabres and Blues wear nearing an agreement to send Robert Thomas to Buffalo. When that deal fell apart, Kekäläinen went back to the well and agreed to a deal to acquire Colton Parayko. Though Parayko ultimately vetoed the deal, it’s clear that Kekäläinen is ready to put his stamp on Buffalo’s roster.
Friday’s deadline will be different than Sabres fans have experienced in quite some time. Aside from the 2023 deadline when the Sabres were quiet but brought in Jordan Greenway and Riley Stillman, and the bizarre 2020 deadline, the Sabres haven’t been anything close to a buyer since their last playoff berth. It’s going to be different this time around.
Even though he fell short on Thomas and Parayko, Kekäläinen appears to have gotten his first two pieces of deadline business complete. As reported by Chad DeDominicis, the Sabres are acquiring both Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from Winnipeg. They’re also bringing in Sam Carrick from the Rangers.
All three are depth additions with varying levels of impact. Chad did a great job laying out some of Schenn and Stanley’s red flags. Neither have especially strong defensive underlying numbers, for defensemen who would be expected to fill that role. Stanley is enjoying a career-high shooting percentage run that’s led him to nearly double his career goal output in one season. I do have some faith that Stanley will be a serviceable option in a sheltered, depth role for the Sabres. His microstats show that he’ll need a partner who is adept in transition to help alleviate the weak points in his game. The Sabres are well equipped to put Stanley in a place to succeed as the top four won’t be disrupted and he’ll slot in with Michael Kesselring on the third pair and enjoy sheltered deployment while giving the Sabres another towering blueliner.
Strictly looking at Schenn’s metrics makes his inclusion hard to square beyond his influence as a Good Locker Room guy. I find it hard to believe he’s a more effective option that Zach Metsa on the ice but he has a pedigree as a veteran leader and with the overall youth of Buffalo’s roster, I don’t think you need to look hard for their reasoning on adding Schenn.
Ideally, Schenn will spend more time in the room and in the press box than he will on the ice while Stanley will do the heavier lifting of the pair acquired from Winnipeg.
Buffalo ships out Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a 2nd and 4th round pick in exchange for the pair of defensemen. A fair enough price in a defenseman market that has exploded over the last five days. The price is certainly a song compared to Radim Mrtka and a 1st round pick. Rosen was blocked by several other prospects and veterans on extensions. He’s been an ideal trade chip for some time now and it’s nice to see a GM find a way to get a return for him. He ought to get a better look in Winnipeg than he was in Buffalo, which makes him a great addition for the Jets. Learning that Schenn comes at 50% retained explains the extra draft pick. It is what it is. No premium assets were included in the deal meaning there’s still room for more work.
Carrick has some promising defensive underlyings and his 53.9% faceoff percentage makes him the Sabres most effective centerman at the dot. He looks to be the precise sort of bottom six forward the Sabres would benefit from adding. He provides some defensive responsibility, can eat some defensive draws while relegating less reliable options to the press box or Rochester. The return for the Rangers is a 3rd and 6th round pick. Using the Nic Dowd pick as a barometer, it’s an adequate price to pay.
Looking ahead to Friday morning, the lone question remaining is if Kekäläinen is finished? He was big game hunting earlier in the week but with Parayko’s refusal and the acquisition of Stanley and Schenn, there isn’t any more need for defensive reinforcements. Carrick shores up the fourth line nicely, leaving only a more significant addition higher in the lineup.
Buffalo’s top three lines are all fairly set in stone. That doesn’t mean they won’t aim for another deal, but it strikes me that the Sabres wouldn’t be chasing down another rental. Rather, something closer to the Robert Thomas deal; a needle mover with term, would be a logical target. That’s a tall ask, but considering Kekäläinen’s work early in the week, I’m not ruling it out entirely. Considering all of the available information, I would suspect the Sabres try to make that deal in the summer.
If Thursday night’s action is all Kekäläinen has up his sleeve, his first deadline will have been underwhelming. Don’t take that to mean disappointment, simply underwhelming. A pair of depth defensemen and a fourth line winger aren’t being mistaken for blockbusters. The Sabres didn’t need to swing for the fences. They have a team that’s performing well, driven by strong five-on-five scoring and a set of top four defensemen that have been tremendous. Too much tinkering could have had a negative effect (although Schenn and Stanley’s underlying numbers could do plenty of damage).
Purely from the perspective of entertainment, another deal or two from the Sabres would make Friday much more enjoyable. But when you consider Buffalo’s needs, Kekäläinen may have checked all the necessary boxes.
Two in the Box 