The Buffalo Sabres dealt defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday in exchange for defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.
Johnson, 25, was a first-round draft pick in 2019 (No. 31 overall) but has appeared in just six games for Buffalo since the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He has spent the start of the 2026-27 season with AHL affiliate Rochester and played the bulk of the past two seasons there as well.
In 47 career NHL games, 41 of them coming in the 2023-24 campaign, Johnson has tallied seven assists and 18 penalty minutes.
Jones, 29, played in seven games for the Penguins last season and tallied one assist. The younger brother of four-time All-Star Seth Jones also served a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy.
The Sabres will be Jones’ sixth team after stints with Edmonton (2018-21), Chicago (2021-23), Colorado (2023-24), Los Angeles (2024-25) and Pittsburgh. In 255 career games, Jones has recorded 14 goals and 42 assists with 90 penalty minutes.
Laatsch, 24, has yet to make his NHL debut. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Penguins in 2021, but spent four years at Wisconsin before making his professional debut in 2025.
