The Sabres have acquired forwards Alex Guptill, Eric O’Dell and Cole Schneider, as well as defenseman Michael Sdao, from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forwards Jason Akeson and Phil Varone and defenseman Jerome Leduc.
None of the players coming to Buffalo have had their debut at the NHL level. This deal is likely meant to shake things up in Rochester as the team stands in 11th place in the AHL Eastern Conference, a seemingly insurmountable 8 points out of the playoff picture. They were spanked 10-5 Saturday at Toronto.
Sdao (6’4”, 229 lbs., 7/3/1989) is a 7th round pick in 2009. He’s a physical, stay-at-home defenseman. He had two assists and a +4 rating in 17 games for Binghamton this season. In 123 career AHL games, the defenseman has 18 points (9+9) and a +19 rating.
Schneider (6’1”, 199 lbs., 8/26/1990) is a native of Williamsville, New York and was leading the Binghamton Senators (AHL) with 42 points (17+25) in 54 games this season. The right winger has 191 points (83+108) in 263 career games for Binghamton. He’s described as a power forward who is most at home around the net and doesn’t mind taking a bit of punishment to get the job done. Should Schneider play three NHL games for the Sabres this season, the Senators will receive Buffalo’s 7th-round pick in the 2016 draft.
O’Dell (6’0”, 195 lbs., 6/21/1990) was leading Binghamton with 18 goals and ranked second with 37 points (18+19) in 50 games this season. The center was drafted in 2009 has good hockey sense and on-ice vision. His role at the NHL level will likely be a two-way lower line forward who can provide supplemental scoring.
Guptill (6’3”, 190 lbs., 3/5/1992) has spent time in both the AHL and ECHL this season, posting a combined 24 points (14+10) in 41 games played, including one assist in three AHL games for Binghamton. The big left winger was drafted in 2010 by Dallas.