It barely registered on the NHL Richter scale when the Buffalo Sabres acquired Sam Carrick from the New York Rangers ahead of Friday's trade deadline, but the veteran center is already proving his worth.
Carrick, who arrived to Buffalo in exchange for third- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, opened his Sabres career by winning two critical late-game faceoffs in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.
The 34-year-old Canadian followed that by up by scoring the Blue and Gold's fifth goal in Sunday's wild 8-7 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning to claim the Atlantic Division lead.