" We wanted to put our stamp on the team. We were left with a very strong roster, but we needed to add some youth on the wings and create a little cap flexibility."

The first move came Saturday when Poulin shipped out UFA to be Jared Tinordi to Winnipeg for a trio of young D men in Jacob Slavin, Neal Pionk, and Dylan DeMelo. The following move was a more lateral move. Buffalo traded Ty Smith and Noah Rod to Saint-Louis for up and coming youngster Nick Suzuki, who will turn pro next season. 

The biggest move of the day was the deal involving Toews, Thomas and as 3rd going to Vancouver for Trocheck, Kuokkanen a 1st and 2nd in 2026. We then solidified our Blue line by bringing in Mattias Ekholm for some cash, which allowed Buffalo to trade the rights to pending UFA Grudbranson to Washington in return Johnny Goudreau, Brendan Gallagher, and some picks.