Sabres Acquire Jones and Laatsch, Trade Johnson to Penguins Buffalo trades defenseman Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh for Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch, while the Penguins also place veteran defenseman Matt Irwin on waivers. Both teams look to strengthen their blue lines as they aim to build on successful seasons. The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins completed a trade entirely involving defensemen on Monday, as the Sabres acquired Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch in exchange for Ryan Johnson, the teams announced. Johnson, 25, is a left-hander who the Sabres chose with the No. 31 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has compiled 47 NHL games over three years while recording seven points, all assists. The most action he saw at the NHL level came in the 2023-24 season, during which he made 41 of his career appearances.Penguins Send Defenseman Caleb JonesJones, another lefty, has extensive experience at the NHL level, having played in 255 regular season games since making his debut during the 2018-19 season with theThe Sabres also add Laatsch, a seventh-round pick from the 2021 draft who is in the midst of his second season of professional hockey after completing his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin. This move was not the only one made by the Penguins involving defensemen on Monday.The club also placed veteran right-hander. Van Riemsdyk was a key free agent acquisition this summer in a bid to add stability and experience to the blue line.Teams Enter Season With MomentumBoth Buffalo and Pittsburgh were among the surprising Stanley Cup Playoff teams from a year ago, and as the two teams look to build upon their organizational momentum from last season in 2026-27, they’re off to solid starts.in a matinee on Monday, improving their record to 3-3-0, while the Penguins have been wildly inconsistent from game to game, but currently hold third place in the Metropolitan Division at 3-2-1.