The National Hockey League trade deadline has come and gone. In the final 24 hours of the frenzy, the Buffalo Sabres made three trades, headlined by the acquisition of defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets for forward Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
The Sabres then announced they traded for forward Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick, and finally, at the tail-end of the deadline, Buffalo acquired forward Tanner Pearson — also from the Jets — for a seventh-round pick.
This team has shown it has what it takes to make a serious run in the playoffs. General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said in his post-deadline press conference Friday that he has a lot of faith in the team, and the goal was to encourage and reward the group by keeping the team mostly intact, wanting to express how much trust management has in the locker room.
"We have a lot of faith in this group," Kekäläinen said. "The way they are playing, competing and having fun, we wanted to reward the group to show them that we have that faith and help them to bring in players in different areas we needed, and I think we addressed those needs and we are a better team because of that."
The GM said the further you get into the spring, the more you need depth, size, and someone to protect the net.
"Luke Schenn has a Stanley Cup, and he knows what it takes to go through the grind," he said. "Logan Stanley is obviously a huge man, 6-foot-7, the length, size, ability to clear the front of the net."
Kekäläinen added that as the playoffs approach, it's important for the team to have that size in front to protect the net, and he believes he addressed that with Stanley and Schenn, calling them "two big trees."
It was important for Kekäläinen not to make any seismic moves to break up the success the Sabres are having right now, he said.
"We don't want to disrupt something that goes very well," he added. "The chemistry, they have fun together, they believe and trust each other, and you can see that. They are having the time of their lives."
Buffalo is well on its way to end an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought as it sits tied in first place of the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kekäläinen said the raucous home environment gives him goosebumps with how loud and passionate the fan base has been, especially referring to the Sabres' last win in KeyBank Center on Tuesday night vs. the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I got goosebumps that night, it was electric, unbelievable atmosphere here, it just shows you the passionate hockey market this is" he said "I have said this many times from the start since I got here. I can see how much passion people in Buffalo have for hockey, and to me that is great.”
On Thursday, there were reports the Sabres nearly traded a first-round draft pick for St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, but Parayko decided to veto the trade and invoke his no-trade clause. Kekäläinen was asked about it and said he won't comment on unfinished business, but he did positively address the situation:
"Let's keep winning, and this will become a destination," he said. "As I have said many times, this is a great city and an unbelievable sports market. ... It's disappointing if anyone thinks this is because of the city of Buffalo."
Kekäläinen also addressed the situation regarding veteran forward and assistant captain Alex Tuch, who is in the final year of his deal, which would make him an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Kekäläinen made it clear the Sabres want to re-sign Tuch and that they had no intention of trading him at the deadline. Kekäläinen said he has had constructive talks with Tuch's agent and will hopefully get a deal done before free agency.
Next up for Buffalo is a home matchup with the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
