The Winnipeg Jets have traded defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a second-round pick in 2027 and the better of Buffalo’s two fourth-round picks in 2026. The Jets retained 50 percent of Schenn’s $2.75 million contract.
Stanley, 27, is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.25 million cap hit. The 6-foot-7 left-shot defenseman is known for his size and physicality, although he’s amid a surprising scoring surge. He has a career-best nine goals and 21 points in 59 games this season.
Schenn, 36, who will also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He has one goal and 7 points in 46 games this season. The 6-2, 225-pound right-shot defenseman played on Winnipeg’s third pair and was an obvious asset for the Jets to move on from, given their low playoff odds.
Both defensemen were held out from Winnipeg’s 4-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
Welcome to Buffalo, Logan and Luke! ⚔️
→ https://t.co/r229JZo22g#LetsGoBuffalo | #sabrehood pic.twitter.com/cnoXWd6iMT
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 6, 2026
What it means for the Sabres
The Sabres made a run at Colton Parayko, but he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to come to Buffalo. That would have been a massive addition. Without a similar caliber of player on the market, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen pivoted to cheaper options to address the Sabres’ need for more defensive depth. Buffalo has been leaning heavily on Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram to play the bulk of the minutes in most games. All four rank in the top 42 in minutes played for defensemen this season.
That’s why depth was important for the Sabres, who have a strong chance to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. There aren’t a lot of players in Buffalo’s dressing room with postseason experience. Stanley and Schenn will provide that. Schenn will be the Sabres’ oldest player, and they might not need him to play every game. His veteran presence will be valuable, though.
Stanley is an interesting addition because of his toughness. As talented as Buffalo’s blue line is, the group doesn’t have a player with Stanley’s physical edge. Deploying him in the right role and with the right partner will be important, but he should be able to provide decent depth. He might be a fit with Michael Kesselring, who is starting to get healthier after playing through a high-ankle sprain before the Olympic break. The Sabres’ defensive depth chart will be crowded with these additions, especially when Conor Timmins returns from injury. He has been out with a broken leg since December. — Matthew Fairburn, Sabres staff writer
Why Winnipeg moved Stanley and Schenn
Stanley played a bigger role for Winnipeg after the Olympic break because of injuries to Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk, but he has primarily been a third-pairing defenceman during his Jets career. Winnipeg moved him because he has earned a raise that doesn’t fit into its budget on the left side, where Morrissey and Dylan Samberg are entrenched in first- and second-pairing roles.
Stanley was a valued Jets teammate and developed confidence to join Winnipeg’s attack, but concerns persist about his play in his own end. Puck management can be an issue, and his lack of agility can expose him in transition. There is also a reasonable expectation that his shooting percentage (12.2 percent) is unsustainably high, meaning he’s not likely to keep scoring at his current rate.
Schenn’s appeal comes from his playoff experience, winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, and his willingness to be physical in an effort to clear the crease in front of his goaltender. The veteran should be a plug-and-play option as a No. 7 or No. 8 defenseman on a team that intends to go deep. He’s better at breakout passes than his stay-at-home, physical reputation would suggest, but he struggles to keep pace in transition and is a nonfactor in the offensive zone. His absence opens a spot for prospect Elias Salomonsson to grow into a bigger role, helping future editions of the Jets in ways Schenn could not.
Winnipeg selected Stanley at No. 18 in 2016 after trading up from No. 22 and No. 36. He went on to play two more seasons in the OHL, two for Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose, and then six seasons for the Jets. Winnipeg protected Stanley in the Seattle expansion draft, indicating a belief in his potential to grow into a top-four defenseman. Though that hasn’t come to pass, Stanley’s offensive contributions and willingness to fight for his teammates turned the occasional boos he received at Canada Life Centre into cheers during 2025-26.
Winnipeg acquired Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2025 trade deadline for a second- and fourth-round pick, one day after the Penguins acquired him from the Nashville Predators as part of a larger trade. He played 11 playoff games for Winnipeg, in which the Jets were outscored 11-3 with him on the ice at five-on-five, a trend that continued during the regular season. — Murat Ates, Jets staff writer
What are the Jets getting in Bryson and Rosen?
Bryson is a smooth skater and decent puck-mover, but at times, he hasn’t been able to hold up to the physical demands of playing the position in the NHL. Clearing out the front of the net has been an issue, and he was passed on the depth chart recently by Zach Metsa. With Buffalo adding two defensemen in this trade, Bryson likely would have been waived to make room on the roster.
Rosen is the bigger piece here for the Jets. The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t gotten a ton of time in the NHL yet. He still needs to add some weight to his frame, but he’s a quick skater with a strong defensive stick and high-end shooting talent. Playing strength will be a question, but Rosen has the skill set to become a middle-six winger in the NHL. He has been lighting up the AHL this season with 25 goals in 37 games. He also had three goals and four assists in the 16 NHL games he got in Buffalo this season. — Fairburn