The Buffalo Sabres decided to take care of all sorts of things on Monday before even eating dinner.
First, they won a matinee hockey game over the Florida Panthers in 5-3 fashion. And then they made a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Buffalo didn’t have a perfect Monday. They had to pull goalie Colten Ellis midway through their game because he was struggling, and then they lost Rasmus Dahlin to an upper-body injury that will keep him out at least on Tuesday against the Canadiens.
But the Sabres will be hoping that their 2-for-1 trade they made, bringing in two defensemen, will help them.
Sabres Trade With Penguins Details
The Sabres and Penguins announced about 5 p.m. ET that they completed a trade.
The deal sends defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Penguins.
In return, the Sabres get two defensemen, Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.
Who Did Sabres Lose?
The Sabres gave up Johnson, a 25-year old defenseman.
He has played 47 career games in the NHL, including 41 in 2023-24 when he had all seven assists he has recorded in the NHL.
Johnson has begun this season at AHL Rochester, and he was a plus-2 through four games down there. He has 41 career AHL points in 153 games at that level.
He previously played in the USHL for Sioux Falls and the NCAA level for the University of Minnesota.
Johnson was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Sabres.
Who Did Sabres Get?
The Sabres got two players in this deal: Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch, both defensemen.
Jones is pictured atop the article.
Jones is a left-shot defenseman originally from Arlington, Texas.
He was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
Jones has played in 255 career NHL games between the Oilers, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Kings and Penguins.
Last season, Jones played in seven games with the Penguins and tallied an assist.
So far this season, Jones had appeared in four games at AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and has three assists.
Laatsch is a 24-year old left shot defenseman from Wisconsin. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft by Pittsburgh and stands 6-foot-5.
The lanky defenseman played college hockey for powerhouse Wisconsin, and he split last season between the ECHL and AHL.
With ECHL Wheeling in 2025-26, Laatsch played in 29 games and had three goals with eight assists. With AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Laatsch got 10 games and dished out three assists.
Jones is more likely to see NHL action this season, but it’s safe to expect him to report to Rochester. Laatsch should see time with the Amerks at some point this season, too.
Sabres Trade for 2 Defensemen From East Rival