Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the final hours leading up until the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, the Buffalo Sabres have made a depth move up front in order to bolster the lineup for a playoff push.
According to a report from Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman late Thursday night, the Sabres are acquiring forward Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers. In exchange, Buffalo is sending New York its third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, as well as a 2026 sixth-round pick that originally belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Carrick has mostly served as a depth piece at the NHL level for most of his professional career. The 34-year-old has amassed just 380 career games in parts of 10 seasons, scoring 38 goals and adding 45 assists for 83 points.
Over the last two seasons in New York, Carrick has played in 140 games, scoring 10 goals and adding 20 assists for 30 points in that time. This season has seen Carrick produce four goals and six assists for 10 points in 60 games with the Rangers.
Outside of last season, where he had 20 points (6+14) in 80 games played in New York, arguably his best season came during his first full season played in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2021-22 campaign. That season saw Carrick score a career-best 11 goals and add eight assists for 19 points in 64 games played.
Where Carrick is expected to help the Sabres is in the faceoff circle, as he has won 53.9% of his draws this year with the Rangers. Buffalo currently ranks dead-last in faceoff percentage this season, averaging just 45% as a group.
Carrick has won 52% of the faceoffs he has taken over the span of his NHL career spent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Rangers.
The 6-foot, 220-pound center was originally a fifth-round pick (144th overall) of the Maple Leafs back in the 2010 NHL Draft.
He is in the second year of a three-year deal signed with the Rangers during the 2024 offseason with an average annual value of $1 million.
The NHL Trade Deadline is set for 3 p.m. EST on Friday.
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