Trade Grades: Rangers deal Sam Carrick to Sabres, add 2 more draft picks
The Broadway retool continued Friday, when the New York Rangers sent Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres for a pair of 2026 draft picks.
Carrick and Vincent Trocheck were both scratched Thursday due to roster management, when the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. Later that night, League sources reported that the Rangers agreed on a deal to send Carrick to Buffalo, and the team confirmed the trade Friday morning.
New York netted Buffalo’s third-round pick in this year’s draft and a sixth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Carrick made the most of his two-year tenure with the Blueshirts, notching 10 goals and 30 points with a plus-3 rating across 140 games. He recorded a career-high 20 points (six goals, 14 points) in 2024-25.
He was best known for his grit and physicality, which translated to some entertaining bouts after the whistle. During his Rangers tenure, the 6-foot, 202-pound center dropped the gloves with known heavyweights like Tom Wilson, Mathieu Olivier, and Arber Xhekaj.
Sullivan lauded Carrick as “the ultimate teammate.” Now the fan-favorite center joins a Buffalo team in the thick of an Eastern Conference playoff race. The Sabres are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the Atlantic Division and second overall in the East with 80 points.
Carrick’s three-year contract, signed with New York in the 2024 offseason, runs through 2026-27; the 33-year-old carries a manageable $1 million average annual value (AAV) cap hit. He becomes the third Rangers regular traded this season, after Carson Soucy (New York Islanders) and Artemi Panarin (Los Angeles Kings).
The NHL Trade Deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Grading the Sam Carrick trade between Rangers and Sabres
New York Rangers: B-
Per NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, this year’s trade deadline is a seller’s market, culminating in higher prices for teams looking to acquire assets. With that in mind, perhaps Rangers general manager Chris Drury missed a chance to squeeze every ounce of value out of a bottom-six center like Carrick.
Taking a quick glance around the League, the Nashville Predators acquired a 2028 second-round pick for 30-year-old center Michael McCarron. The Chicago Blackhawks received a conditional 2027 first-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers in a package headlined by 30-year-old center Jason Dickinson, although Chicago also took forward Andrew Mangiapane’s $3.6 million AAV on a contract that runs through 2026-27.
McCarron and Dickinson are both slightly younger assets with larger roles and higher offensive ceilings, so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison to Carrick. It’s simply to illustrate that even aging bottom-six centers commanded noteworthy hauls in this year’s market.
But while Drury didn’t land an A+ package for Carrick, it’s still a fair return — especially for a fourth-line center who’s better suited for a playoff contender as opposed to a retooling Rangers squad. It certainly doesn’t hurt to acquire two more picks for a 2026 NHL Draft that boasts strong depth and a wealth of first-round talent.
New York now owns 11 picks for the upcoming draft — including four third-rounders — per PuckPedia. Drury should have the ability to move up in the draft if he’s willing to package a few of those picks in June, or use some of those picks before the trade deadline to acquire NHL-ready talent.
Considering that Buffalo doesn’t have a second-round pick until 2028, it’s likely not worth losing sleep over. Carrick’s return might not line up with the market value of centers around the League, but it’s nothing to throw a fit over.
Buffalo Sabres: B+
Carrick isn’t the home-run asset who anchors your deadline, but he’s a match made in heaven for any playoff hopeful looking to strengthen its bottom six.
Buffalo hasn’t appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2010-11 — the longest playoff drought of any team in NHL history — but they’re in a prime position to snap that skid this spring.
Carrick’s bread and butter is a physical, defensively responsible game in fourth-line minutes. It’s nothing flashy, although he’s got respectable puck skills if he finds himself on a breakaway. Carrick’s a capable penalty killer and above average in the face-off dot, winning 53.9 percent of draws this season and 52.0 percent in 380 games during his 10-year NHL career.
It’s everything you want in a bottom-six forward. His fearless style of play and a willingness to drop the mitts with just about anyone are merely the cherry on top. Had he finished the 2025-26 season in New York, he’d likely be a shoo-in for the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.
Buffalo fans might not be thrilled to give up multiple picks in the 2026 draft, but come playoff time, they’ll be happy to have Carrick in the lineup.
