Sabres acquire defensemen Stanley, Schenn from Jets

The Buffalo Sabres acquired defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday in exchange for forward Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.

The 2026 fourth-round pick that goes to Winnipeg will be the better of Buffalo's own selection or Edmonton's (which Buffalo acquired via Boston last March). 

Stanley, 27, has played his entire six-year career in Winnipeg and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer – his cap hit this season is $1.25 million. The Kitchener, Ontario, native was drafted 18th overall in 2016.

This has been a breakout offensive season for the left-shot blueliner, with career highs in goals (9), points (21) and average time on ice (17:12). He adds another scoring threat to a Sabres defense corps that already ranks second in the NHL with 44 goals. Stanley brings a hard shot to the back end, ranking in the league’s 94th percentile with an average shot speed of 73.64 mph, per NHL Edge.

And the 6-foot-7, 231-pound Stanley has long been a physical presence on the Jets’ third pair; his 96 hits now rank fifth on the Sabres. He’s dropped the gloves 20 times in his career, including once at KeyBank Center in December 2024 against Dennis Gilbert.

Schenn, 36, has played 1,118 career games across 18 seasons. He was traded twice before last year’s deadline, and Buffalo marks his 10th NHL team. Like Stanley, Schenn will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Winnipeg is retaining 50 percent of Schenn’s remaining salary.

A right shot, 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Schenn has averaged 13:44 of ice time this season while ranking seventh leaguewide with 139 hits. Among active players, his 3,799 career hits rank second behind only Alex Ovechkin, and he registered 200 or more in each of the last three seasons.

On offense, Schenn contributed seven points (1+6) in 46 games for Winnipeg.

The Sabres have leaned heavily on their top-four defensemen – lefties Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram – with excellent results this season. Stanley and Schenn now provide additional depth behind those guys, in addition to righties Michael Kesselring and Zach Metsa. Conor Timmins, another right shot and a stalwart penalty killer, is working his way back from injury.

Schenn should be an option on the kill, too, having played 1:35 per game shorthanded for this year’s Jets.

Both pickups bring substantial playoff experience, too. Stanley’s played 17 games across four postseasons, and Schenn’s 58-game playoff career includes Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021 with Tampa Bay. They’re also very familiar with one another’s games, having played 264 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season.

Rosen, a first-round pick in 2021, played 31 games for the Sabres across three seasons, including 16 in 2025-26. Bryson joined the organization as a fourth rounder in 2017, and he played 289 games over six seasons, including 35 this year.

The NHL trade deadline is 3 p.m. on Friday. Stay tuned to Sabres.com for full coverage and reactions on all of Buffalo’s moves as it gears up for a potential playoff run.