- New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of the lineup according to a team release. The Islanders announced the veteran is still day-to-day and will not play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Pageau has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since he last played on February 11th against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com added some clarity to the Buffalo Sabres injury situation. The team called up Lawrence Pilut earlier today and LaBarber reported it was because Riley Stillman and Mattias Samuelsson remain out of the lineup with injury. Both are listed as day-to-day and will miss a second straight game after sitting out the team’s 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. In good news, LaBarber also mentioned Tyson Jost returns to the lineup tonight after missing last night’s game to nurse an undisclosed injury.
Sabres Rumors
Buffalo Sabres Recall Lawrence Pilut
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Lawrence Pilut from the AHL’s Rochester Americans, per a team release Tuesday afternoon.
This is Pilut’s first recall since clearing waivers back on December 30, 2022. He failed to make the Sabres out of camp but was recalled just days into the regular season, recording a goal in three points in 17 games over the course of more than two months.
Pilut returned to the Sabres this season after two years with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, remaining on Buffalo’s reserve list all the while. An undrafted free agent signing out of Sweden in 2018, Pilut was issued a qualifying offer upon the expiration of his entry-level contract in 2020 but did not accept, instead opting for more playing time in Russia.
It’s unclear whether Pilut’s recall means more injury troubles for the Sabres on defense. Mattias Samuelsson and new acquisition Riley Stillman are both day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Pilut has had a somewhat productive season in Rochester, recording 19 points in 30 games. It’s still a step back from his rookie year in North America, where he hovered near a point per game in the minors and earned a 33-game stint in Buffalo.
Injury Notes: Sabres, Penguins, Bruins, Islanders, Jets
Mattias Samuelsson and Riley Stillman will not play tonight for the Buffalo Sabres against the Edmonton Oilers as both are out with upper-body injuries, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
Both played for Buffalo in the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. Samuelsson has recorded one goal and seven assists for eight points this season. The Sabres hope he becomes a secondary anchor of their blueline behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, as next season he will enter the first year of a seven-year contract paying him an AAV of $4.285MM. Stillman is a depth piece who is already a bit of a journeyman at 24, having suited up for four different franchises over parts of the past five seasons, and has played two games for Buffalo since being acquired from Vancouver Feb. 27.
Other notes from around the NHL this morning:
- Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, who didn’t play on Saturday against the Florida Panthers, was back on the ice for practice Monday morning, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Jarry has been strong this season for the Pens, with a .916 save percentage and 2.77 GAA in 32 games played. Pittsburgh next plays on Tuesday as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Veteran centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci did not practice Monday morning, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. Bergeron scored in each of the past two games, both Bruins wins, and has 23 goals and 25 assists for 48 points this season. Krejci has 50 points in 57 games this season in his return to the NHL. The Bruins play next on Thursday as the host the Edmonton Oilers.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mason Appleton participated in the morning skate for the Winnipeg Jets, according to John Lu of TSN. Dubois hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and Lu reports the lower-body injury that kept him out of the past three games wasn’t too bothersome and just needed to heal. Dubois has 55 points (24G, 31A) in 60 games for the Jets this season. Appleton also hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and has nine points in 22 games this season. Both will play tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
- Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to ice for the New York Islanders practice Monday morning, according to Neil Best of Newsday. Pageau hasn’t played since Feb. 11, and has 29 points in 56 games for the Islanders this season. The Islanders are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
Trade Deadline Roundup: Eastern Conference
While trade deadline day was largely a dud in itself, that was because so many moves were made in the days leading up to March 3rd. With that in mind, here is a recap of the trades made in the Eastern Conference in the ten days leading up to deadline day to show who all moved where in what was a busy trade period overall. Players and picks that were acquired and then flipped are only noted for their final destination.
Boston Bruins
Acquired: F Shane Bowers, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Garnet Hathaway, D Dmitry Orlov, F Andrei Svetlakov
Traded: G Keith Kinkaid, F Craig Smith, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
Buffalo Sabres
Acquired: F Jordan Greenway, D Riley Stillman, D Austin Strand, 2023 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (NSH)
Traded: F Rasmus Asplund, F Josh Bloom, F Anders Bjork, G Erik Portillo, D Chase Priskie, 2023 second-round pick (VGK), 2024 fifth-round pick
Carolina Hurricanes
Acquired: D Shayne Gostisbehere, F Jesse Puljujarvi
Traded: F Patrik Puistola, 2026 third-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets
Acquired: G Jon Gillies, G Michael Hutchinson, 2023 first-round pick (LA), 2023 fifth-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (VGK)
Traded: D Vladislav Gavrikov, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Voracek, 2023 sixth-round pick
Detroit Red Wings
Acquired: F Dylan McLaughlin, 2023 first-round pick (NYI), 2023 second-round pick (VAN), 2023 fourth-round pick (MIN), 2024 first-round pick (BOS), 2025 fourth-round pick (BOS), 2025 seventh-round pick (STL)
Traded: F Tyler Bertuzzi, D Filip Hronek, F Oskar Sundqvist, F Jakub Vrana
Florida Panthers
No trades made
Montreal Canadiens
Acquired: D Frederic Allard, F Denis Gurianov, D Tony Sund, 2024 fifth-round pick (SJ)
Traded: F Evgenii Dadonov, D Arvid Henrikson, F Nate Schnarr
New Jersey Devils
Acquired: G Zacharie Emond, F Timur Ibragimov, F Curtis Lazar, F Timo Meier, D Santeri Hatakka, 2024 fifth-round pick (COL)
Traded: F Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotyuk, F Fabian Zetterlund, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick, 2024 seventh-round pick
New York Islanders
Acquired: F Pierre Engvall
Traded: 2024 third-round pick
New York Rangers
Acquired: F Anton Blidh, D Wyatt Kalynuk, F Patrick Kane, F William Lockwood, D Cooper Zech, 2026 seventh-round pick (VAN)
Traded: F Vitali Kravtsov, F Austin Rueschhoff, F Gustav Rydahl, D Andy Welinski, 2023 second-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
Ottawa Senators
Acquired: F Patrick Brown, D Jakob Chychrun
Traded: D Nikita Zaitsev, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick
Philadelphia Flyers
Acquired: F Brendan Lemieux, 2023 sixth-round pick (OTT), 2024 fourth-round pick (LA)
Traded: F Patrick Brown, F Zack MacEwen, F Isaac Ratcliffe
Pittsburgh Penguins
Acquired: F Nick Bonino, F Peter DiLiberatore, F Mikael Granlund, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2024 third-round pick (VGK)
Traded: F Teddy Blueger, F Brock McGinn, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Acquired: F Michael Eyssimont, F Tanner Jeannot
Traded: D Cal Foote, F Vladislav Namestnikov, 2023 third-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2025 first-round pick
Toronto Maple Leafs
Acquired: D Erik Gustafsson, F Sam Lafferty, D Jake McCabe, D Luke Schenn, F Radim Zohorna, 2023 first-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (NYI), 2024 fifth-round pick (CHI), 2025 fifth-round pick (CHI)
Traded: F Joey Anderson, F Pierre Engvall, F Pavel Gogolev, F Dryden Hunt, D Rasmus Sandin, 2023 third-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
Washington Capitals
Acquired: D Rasmus Sandin, F Craig Smith, 2024 third-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (MIN), 2025 second-round pick (BOS), 2025 second-round pick (COL)
Traded: F Lars Eller, D Erik Gustafsson, F Garnet Hathaway, F Marcus Johansson, D Dmitry Orlov
Nashville Predators Acquire Rasmus Asplund
The Nashville Predators are acquiring Rasmus Asplund from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick, per a team announcement. Asplund is playing on an $825k cap hit for the rest of the season, from which point he will be eligible for restricted free agency.
Asplund was the 33rd overall pick at the 2016 draft, impressing scouts due to the fact that he was trusted to play regularly in the SHL for Farjestad at such a young age. Asplund played two more seasons in Sweden before coming over to play for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, in 2019-20. He played quite well, scoring 41 points in 75 games, and earned his first NHL call-up the following year.
Last season, Asplund finally emerged as a full-time NHLer, playing in 80 games and scoring 27 points. His energetic play and defensive abilities quickly earned him the trust of head coach Don Granato, who gave the forward over 14 minutes of ice time per night including time on both special teams units.
This season has been a different story, though, as Asplund has frequently been a healthy scratch for the team. While he has remained a contributor on their penalty kill when in the lineup, Asplund has gotten into only 27 games and scored just eight points. He’s played just six games in 2023 and none since February 13th. By moving Asplund to Nashville, the Sabres clear room for their new forward acquisition, Jordan Greenway, and also give Asplund a chance to get a greater opportunity playing for a new club.
While it might be slightly disappointing to receive such a low future draft pick in exchange for a player who once held quite a bit of promise, this season as a whole has been highly encouraging for the Sabres and it’s highly unlikely that this move has any major impact on the team’s chase of a Wild Card spot this season.
For the Predators, this is a savvy move to acquire a player who could thrive in a more regular opportunity in their lineup. Injuries have left the Predators absolutely starved for forward help in recent weeks, and the combination of Asplund’s versatility and defensive ability should make him a regular in the team’s lineup for at least the rest of this season, with the possibility to extend the relationship beyond this season.
While there are some who might prefer that the Predators hold on to every possible draft pick as they head into a rebuild-like direction, taking a flyer on a solid young player like Asplund is definitely a reasonable move to make, especially given the current state of the team’s forward corps.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was first to report the deal.
Anaheim, Buffalo Complete Minor League Deal
According to a team release, the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres have swapped a couple of minor league players. The Ducks have acquired Chase Priskie while the Sabres picked up Austin Strand.
Priskie is a 26-year-old right-defenseman who has scored four goals and nine points in 42 games with the Rochester Americans this season. He is in his fourth AHL season after a stellar college career at Quinnipiac and has played four career NHL games.
Strand is also a 26-year-old right-defenseman. He has scored two goals and eight points in 46 games with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 6-foot-3 and 215 pound defender was called up to play five games with the Ducks this season and has played 26 NHL games in his career.
Buffalo Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway
The Buffalo Sabres are expected to acquire forward Jordan Greenway from the Minnesota Wild, as first reported by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. According to Pagnotta, the Wild are receiving a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 fifth-rounder in return.
Per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the Wild are not retaining any salary on Greenway’s $3MM AAV deal, a contract that runs for two seasons after this one. TSN’s Darren Dreger notes that the second-rounder sent to Minnesota is the one the team received from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel trade.
Once officially completed, this deal will end Greenway’s at times highly promising, at times highly frustrating time with the Wild, a period that stretches all the way back to the 2015 draft, where former Wild GM Chuck Fletcher selected Greenway 50th overall. Fletcher plucked Greenway from the US National Team Development Program, where he was coached by current Sabres head coach Don Granato.
Greenway made his way to Boston University after the draft, and starred for three seasons there as a high-scoring power forward. He made his NHL debut in 2017-18, signing with the Wild at the conclusion of his collegiate season, and he showed some promise, scoring two points in five playoff games.
Greenway stepped into the NHL lineup and played 2018-19 with the Wild, scoring 12 goals and 24 points in 81 games.
His six-foot-six size and speed excited Wild fans, and there were nights where it seemed clear that big things would be coming for the American power forward.
Greenway’s progress began to stagnate after that point, and a mix of injuries and inconsistency spelled the end of Greenway’s time in Minnesota.
While he scored 27 points in 62 games last season, Greenway has scored just seven points in 45 games this year, and Russo reported last month that the Wild were “actively shopping” him. It’s seemed clear for some time that a change of scenery was the best path forward for the Wild and Greenway, and that change of scenery has been achieved through this trade.
The Wild not only receive a quality draft pick in return for Greenway but they also clear his $3MM cap hit from their books, something of particular importance given how they are still under the weight of the Ryan Suter/Zach Parise buyouts.
For the Sabres, this deal is a roll of the dice on their development staff’s ability to rejuvenate the career of a player with some tantalizing physical tools. NHL teams are always on the hunt to find the next power forward, and while a second-rounder and another draft pick is certainly a hefty price to pay for a player with single-digit points at this stage of the season, it’s easy to see why the Sabres might get excited about what Greenway could do on their team.
Should the Sabres end up unlocking the potential many have believed Greenway has long possessed, then they could receive a big, talented forward with some affordable team control left on his contract.
It’s definitely a risk, but seeing how the Sabres have developed other big forwards in recent years such as Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, it’s an understandable home-run swing for the team to take.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Buffalo Sabres Place Rasmus Dahlin On Injured Reserve
The Buffalo Sabres announced on Thursday that defenseman Riley Stillman has been added to the active roster, while defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has been placed on injured reserve.
Dahlin has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury, a significant blow for the Sabres as they continue to battle for a playoff spot. They’ve conceded nine goals in their past two outings without Dahlin, and while they were able to rally for seven goals to defeat the Washington Capitals, poor defense cost them points against the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 22-year-old has been one of the top defensemen in the league this season, recording a jaw-dropping 62 points in 56 games. He leads all Sabres skaters in ice time, averaging 26:01 per game. He’s still classified as day-to-day, though, and could be activated ahead of Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers if healthy. However, the move to injured reserve confirms he’ll miss at least the next two games.
It’ll be a tough go for those two games against high-powered division rivals: the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Stillman is ready to join the team after being acquired Monday from the Vancouver Canucks and clearing immigration hurdles. Although he provides NHL experience, he doesn’t move the needle much to fill in for someone of Dahlin’s caliber. It means the pressure shifts almost entirely to rookie Owen Power to ensure the Sabres don’t lose too much ground in the playoff race over the next few days.
The 24-year-old Stillman had played in 32 games for the Canucks before the trade, registering five assists. Now on his fourth NHL team, Stillman could relieve Jacob Bryson in the lineup. His pairing with Ilya Lyubushkin has been the team’s worst in terms of expected goals among pairings with at least 150 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
Buffalo remains in a playoff spot by points percentage, but the New York Islanders and now-fortified Ottawa Senators stay on their tail.
Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anders Bjork
The Chicago Blackhawks have made another deadline move, acquiring Anders Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres. Bjork has been buried in the minor leagues for almost the entire season but carries a $1.6MM cap hit.
Darren Dreger of TSN reports Buffalo promised Bjork they would find him a new home.
It never did work out in Buffalo, where he was supposed to come and flourish after some up-and-down years with the Boston Bruins. Bjork was part of the trade that sent Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar to Boston in 2021, but he’ll leave Buffalo with just eight goals and 14 points to show for his 64 games in a Sabres sweater.
At 26, it’s hard to believe Bjork will ever really become an impact player at the NHL level, though Chicago will have plenty of offensive opportunities to hand him as they try to shine another asset.
The only issue with this one is that Bjork would need a $1.8MM qualifying offer for the Blackhawks to retain his rights as an RFA, which seems unlikely. Perhaps the two sides will work out a cheaper extension over the next few months; otherwise, Bjork could hit the open market this summer looking for another fresh start.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the deal on Twitter.
Los Angeles Kings Acquire Erik Portillo
The Buffalo Sabres have traded the rights to University of Michigan netminder Erik Portillo to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick, per a team announcement.
This move comes amid widespread speculation that Portillo would opt to test the college free-agent market rather than sign with the Sabres, who drafted him 67th overall at the 2019 draft. The Sabres have arguably the best goalie prospect in hockey, Northeastern University’s Devon Levi, so it’s possible that the presence of Levi in Buffalo’s pipeline played a role in Portillo looking elsewhere for his NHL future.
Important to note is the fact that this deal does not guarantee that Portillo will end up signing with the Kings. The Buffalo Sabres traded a third-round pick for the rights to Jimmy Vesey in the summer of 2016, only for him to sign with the New York Rangers shortly afterwards.
But while the Sabres already have Levi in their pipeline, The Kings don’t have quite the same big-name goalie prospect already in the mix for Portillo to have to contend with for “goalie of the future” status.
If the Kings do end up signing Portillo, they’ll land a quality prospect who The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked as the seventh-best prospect in a talented Sabres system. (subscription link) Portillo is a six-foot-six netminder who has been the starter at Michigan for the past two seasons. Last year, Portillo posted impressive numbers, going 31-10-1 with a .926 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against-average. His numbers have suffered a bit this season, but scouts remain impressed with his imposing size, quality puck-handling ability, and sneaky athleticism.
This is the second trade of the day where the Kings acquired a netminder. While today’s acquisition of Joonas Korpisalo was about helping their organization’s goalie situation in the short-term, today’s deal is designed to give them a potential long-term solution. It’s a worthy investment of a third-round pick assuming they get his signature on an entry-level deal, and a nice refund for the Sabres who likely weren’t signing him anyway and already have Levi, Luukkonen, and others to focus their developmental efforts on.