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Penguins acquire Sabres D Ryan Johnson for Caleb Jones, Daniel Laatsch

By Thomson Reuters Oct 12, 2026 | 5:32 PM

By Field Level Media

Oct 12 (Field Level Media) – The Buffalo Sabres dealt defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Pittsburgh Penguins ​on Monday in exchange for defensemen ‌Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.

Johnson, 25, was a first-round draft pick in 2019 (No. 31 overall) but has appeared in just six games for Buffalo ‌since ​the start of the ⁠2024-25 campaign. He ⁠has spent the start of the 2026-27 season with AHL affiliate Rochester and played the bulk of the past two seasons ​there as well.

In 47 career NHL games, 41 of them coming in ⁠the 2023-24 campaign, Johnson ⁠has tallied seven assists and 18 ​penalty minutes.

Jones, 29, played in seven games ​for the Penguins last season and tallied ‌one assist. The younger brother of four-time All-Star Seth Jones also served a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances ⁠policy.

The Sabres will be Jones’ sixth team after stints with Edmonton (2018-21), Chicago (2021-23), Colorado (2023-24), Los Angeles (2024-25) and ⁠Pittsburgh. In ‌255 career games, Jones has ⁠recorded 14 goals and 42 ​assists ‌with 90 penalty minutes.

Laatsch, 24, ​has yet ⁠to make his NHL debut. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Penguins in 2021, but spent four years at Wisconsin before making his professional debut in 2025.

(–Field ​Level Media)