The Buffalo Sabres returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011 earlier this spring, enjoying an opening round series victory over the divisional rival Boston Bruins before falling to the Montreal Canadiens, another divisional rival, in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
But Buffalo’s chances of returning to the playoffs for a second straight year took a hit with the loss of forward Alex Tuch, who is now with the Washington Capitals after being acquired via trade and then locked up to a multi-year extension.
In the meantime, the Sabres have completed a trade with the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, who reached the mountaintop for the first time in 20 years.
The Buffalo Sabres Completed A Trade With The Hurricanes On Monday
On Monday, the Sabres sent former third round draft selection Stiven Sardarian to the Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations. The deal was confirmed by the official PR account of the Sabres, who reported the following:
“The Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Stiven Sardarian to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations,” Buffalo reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sardarian’s has built up his professional resume, producing offensively and taking steps forward at the various levels he’s played at. The Russian winger took another step forward in 2025-26, becoming one of the CCHA’s most productive players while suiting up for Michigan Tech.
Sardarian was a force for Michigan Tech this past season, piling up 44 points in just 37 games. He set up 32 goals and scored 12 of his own, production that earned him CCHA Forward of the Year and a spot on the conference’s First All-Star Team. That strong finish also brought his college career into triple digits in scoring.
Across 133 games at Michigan Tech and New Hampshire, Sardarian has put up 100 points, with 32 goals and 68 assists.
Sardarian showed that same scoring touch with the Youngstown Phantoms in 2021-22, picking up eight goals and 17 assists in 46 USHL games. His North American career began after a stint in Russia’s MHL, where he played most of the 2020-21 season for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva. He recorded 30 points in 50 games, including nine goals.
That production eventually caught the attention of the Sabres, who took Sardarian in the third round (88th overall pick) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Sabres Need To Replace Alex Tuch’s Offense
Tuch is now with the Sabres, meaning that Buffalo is now down one of their most consistent offensive performers.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen spoke in late June about the importance of replacing Tuch’s offensive production while voicing optimism.
“We’ll look at all the options. But I don’t know – nothing disrespectful to Alex Tuch, he’s been a great player for us, but we have a lot of good players in our lineup,” he said. ” But if you look at all the players we have that played pretty well this year in the NHL, it’s almost – it looks like I don’t know where we’re going to fit them all.
The Sabres will begin their preseason schedule next month on September 21 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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