Penguins and Sabres complete 2-for-1 swap sending defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to Buffalo

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a trade that reshapes both organizations’ defensive pipeline. The Penguins will send Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to Buffalo, receiving Ryan Johnson in return, according to Yahoo Sports’ report published Monday.

Johnson, 25, was selected by the Sabres with the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has appeared in 47 career NHL games, with the majority of that NHL experience coming during the 2023-24 season, a profile that suggests the forward-looking gamble here is continued development and a defined role as a depth defenseman.

Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch, the players heading to Buffalo, are both presented in the report as minor-league defensemen. Deals like this are often less about immediate impact in the lineup and more about what each team believes it can extract from prospects under its own development system, from coaching style to usage in the AHL.

For Pittsburgh, the trade fits a familiar winter and preseason theme in the NHL: acquiring younger defenders with some NHL exposure rather than purely chasing established veterans. Even without an assurance of top-pair minutes, a 25-year-old with NHL reps can provide insurance against injuries, improve competition during training camp, and create flexibility for the second half of the season when roster adjustments are common.

Buffalo, meanwhile, is adding two defenders whose value is tied to their upside and organizational fit. The Sabres have typically treated their defensive prospects as key pieces of their long-term plan, and moves like this can be designed to restock the pool, widen the path to roster spots, and keep system depth strong across multiple levels.

The reported structure is also a classic 2-for-1: the receiving team takes on multiple development paths in exchange for a single, more NHL-proven asset. In practice, the question becomes whether Johnson can turn his prior NHL window into a steadier role, and whether Jones and Laatsch reach their next developmental milestone for Buffalo.

What to watch next is whether Johnson’s offseason and camp situation results in a clearer usage plan, even if it starts in a reserve capacity. For Buffalo, the early indicators will be how quickly the two incoming defenders draw AHL opportunities and whether their minutes and responsibilities suggest a path to NHL recall later in the season.