Sabres Deal Ryan Johnson to Penguins for Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch

The Buffalo Sabres moved on from a former first-round pick on Monday, trading defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.

Johnson, 25, was selected 31st overall by Buffalo in the 2019 draft but never secured a regular NHL spot. He has appeared in just 47 career NHL games, with seven assists all coming during his 2023-24 rookie season, and opened this season with AHL affiliate Rochester. Pittsburgh sees a change-of-scenery candidate: Penguins head coach Dan Muse has praised Johnson's skating and defensive detail dating back to his days with the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede and the University of Minnesota.

Jones, 29, brings 255 games of NHL experience with stops in Edmonton, Chicago, Colorado, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, and the younger brother of four-time All-Star Seth Jones opened this season with three points in four AHL games. Laatsch, 24, is a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Wisconsin who has yet to make his NHL debut. The trade also opens two NHL contract slots for Pittsburgh, which sits at 47 of 50.

For Buffalo, the timing was deliberate: the Sabres announced the deal hours after a 5-3 matinee win over Florida in which captain Rasmus Dahlin exited with an upper-body injury, leaving the blue line suddenly thin. Johnson met his new teammates in time for Pittsburgh's Tuesday morning skate as the Penguins opened a four-game road trip in Chicago.