I wouldn’t have expected this trade tree to require another update so soon, but former first round pick Ryan Johnson was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins, necessitating yet another update.

Options for additional growth continue to dwindle, with Johnson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the two most likely candidates to bring new additions to this trade tree. The best case scenario for Johnson would have seen him packaged in a larger deal, one that might bring about several new names, draft picks or prospects that could really juice the longevity of the tree. His individual value was quite low, as illustrated by the deal that brought back Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch, but it wasn’t out of the question to consider him as a throw-in on a bigger offseason trade (think makeweight in the Bowen Byram deal).

This branch isn’t likely to grow further as both Jones and Laatsch are free agents this coming summer and won’t garner much in the trade market as minor league defenders. That leaves Luukkonen, Tage Thompson and 2025 7th round pick Melvin Novotny as the final active pieces on the trade tree. Obviously, Luukkonen’s name has been in trade rumors dating back to the offseason. It’s certainly possible that he is moved in the next two seasons. Thompson is about as close to untouchable as anyone in Buffalo’s system, but the potential for him to move could grow as his contract winds down. He has three years left after this season and he turns 29 in two weeks. He could be much more expendable in a year or two depending on how the roster evolves around him, though he’s still the least likely of the active players remaining on the trade tree to move.