Latest news with #ConnorClifton
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh Penguins draft 10 players on day two of 2025 NHL Draft
The Pittsburgh Penguins rounded out day two of the 2025 NHL Draft with 10 players. These were the Penguins' picks Friday at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater: Peyton Kettles (2nd round, 39th overall) Charlie Trethewey (3rd round, 73rd overall) Gabriel D'Aigle (3rd round, 84th overall) Brady Peddle (3rd round, 91st overall) Travis Hayes (4th round, 105th overall) Ryan Miller (5th round, 130th overall) Quinn Beauchesne (5th round, 148th overall) Jordan Charron (5th round, 154th overall) Carter Sanderson (6th round, 169th overall) Kale Dach (7th round, 201st overall) The Penguins picked forwards Benjamin Kindel, Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff in the draft's first round Thursday. Advertisement The Penguins traded Conor Timmins and Issac Belliveau for the Buffalo Sabres' Connor Clifton and the 39th overall pick in the draft. Kettles, 17, has accumulated 27 points (7G-20A) in 116 Western Hockey League games with the Swift Current Broncos from 2023 to 2025. The 6-foot-6, 194-pound defenseman is a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Threthewey, 17, spent the last two seasons with USA Hockey's National Development Team, accumulating 55 points (18G-37A) over 115 games. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound defenseman is an Ellicott City, Md., native and played two seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Program and is committed to Boston University for the 2025-26 season. D'Aigle, 18, spent the last season with the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, playing in a career-high 55 games. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound goaltender is a Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, native and has earned a gold medal in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a bronze medal in the 2023 World Under-18 Championship. Advertisement The Penguins traded the 85th overall pick to the Vegas Golden Knights for the 91st and 154th overall picks. Peddle, 18, completed his first season in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks in 2024-25, appearing in 62 games and acquiring 10 points (3G-7A). The 6-foot-3, 202-pound defenseman is an Antigonish, Nova Scotia, native and is committed to Michigan State University in 2026-27. Hayes, 17, set career highs in games played (65), goals (21), assists (30) and points (51) during his second season with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2024-25. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward is an Ann Arbor, Mich., native and played for Team USA at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Miller, 18, set career highs in games played (50), goals (16), assists (15) and points (31) during his second full season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2024-25. The 6-foot, 176-pound forward Medicine Hat, Alberta, native and is committed to the University of Denver for the 2026-27 season. Beauchesne, 18, set career highs in games played (49), goals (6), assists (18) and points (24) during his second season with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League in 2024-2025. The 6-foot, 187-pound defenseman is an Ottawa, Ontario, native and won gold for Team Canada at the 2024-25 World Under-18 Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Charron, 18, split the 2024-25 season between the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (10G-11A) and the Ayr Centennials of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (9G-13A). The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward is an Ayr, Ontario, native and is committed to St. Lawrence University for the 2026-27 season. Sanderson, 17, accumulated 11 points (5G-6A) during his first season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League over 48 games. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward is a Pierre, N.D., native and is committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2026-27 season. Dach, 18, set career highs in games played (54), goals (22), assists (65) and points (87) during his last season with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the British Columbia Hockey League. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound forward is a Saskatchewan, Alberta, native and is committed to Penn State University for the 2026-27 season. Advertisement Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Bruins defenseman part of trade on Day 2 of NHL Draft
Connor Clifton is on the move. The Buffalo Sabres traded the defenseman to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau and the 39th pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Penguins used the pick to draft Peyton Kettles. Advertisement Clifton just wrapped up his second season in Buffalo. He signed a three-year deal with the Sabres in the summer of 2023 after spending his first five years with the Boston Bruins. The defenseman has one year and $3.33 million left on his deal. While Clifton didn't live up expectations in Buffalo, he'll add a veteran presence on Pittsburgh's blue line and can be a serviceable depth defenseman. In 232 games with the Bruins, Clifton scored 10 goals and added 33 assists. He racked up 157 penalty minutes with 280 blocked shots and 602 hits. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Bruins Connor Clifton Traded To New Team
Former Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton is on the move. The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have traded Clifton and the 39th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Connor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau. Clifton, 30, appeared in 73 games this past season with the Sabres, where he posted one goal, 16 points, 208 hits, and a minus-6 rating. This was after he had four goals, 18 points, and a plus-12 rating in his first season with Buffalo in 2023-24. Advertisement Clifton played his first five seasons with the Bruins from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 232 games as a Bruin, he posted 10 goals, 33 assists, 43 points, 602 hits, and a plus-37 rating. NHL Rumors: Bruins Open To Making Significant Trade NHL Rumors: Bruins Open To Making Significant Trade According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Boston Bruins are listening to calls on forward Pavel Zacha. Photo Credit: © Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres trade Connor Clifton and pick to Penguins for Conor Timmins, Isaac Belliveau
The Sabres traded the No. 39 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and Connor Clifton to the Penguins in exchange for Conor Timmins and prospect Isaac Belliveau. The Penguins used the pick to take Peyton Kettles, a 6-foot-6 defenseman from Swift Current in the WHL. The Sabres still have eight picks left in this draft. Advertisement This looks like the Sabres shedding some salary. Clifton is entering the third season of a contract that has a cap hit of $3.33 million. He played mostly on Buffalo's third pair over the last two seasons. He's a physical right-handed defenseman who will be a high-character addition to Pittsburgh's locker room. He didn't live up to his salary in Buffalo, but he's still a serviceable depth defenseman who can contribute on the penalty kill. We have acquired defensemen Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Connor Clifton and the 39th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Details → — Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 28, 2025 Getting back Timmins in the trade gives the Sabres a right-handed defenseman to replace Clifton on the depth chart. Timmins is a restricted free agent but shouldn't cost as much as Clifton and might end up being an upgrade. Timmins played for both the Leafs and Penguins last season. His team outscored opponents 39-30 while he was on the ice at five-on-five. He's bigger than Clifton and can kill penalties if needed. The extra salary cap space doesn't hurt, given the fact that the Sabres still have some big restricted free agents unsigned. Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod, Devon Levi and Jacob Bernard-Docker all need new contracts. Belliveau was a fifth-round pick in 2021 and has split time between the ECHL and AHL the last two seasons, so he looks like a minor-league addition for Buffalo's organization. This trade, from the Penguins' standpoint, is all about collecting more assets. Timmins was OK in Pittsburgh, kind of like Clifton is an OK NHL defenseman. Neither is nor was likely to be part of the future, nor was Belliveau, who has spent most of his minor league career at the ECHL level. This is not a great prospect. Advertisement The key to this trade was that the Penguins were able to attain a high second-round draft pick, which is no small thing. Then, the Penguins proceeded to take 6-6 defenseman Kettles, who is another in the line of large draft picks the Penguins are making in their desire to add organizational size. So, this is a great piece of business for the Penguins. They flip defensemen — and while Clifton does make $3.3 million, his contract expires after next season — and they landed a high second-round pick. (Photo of Connor Clifton: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Fixing Sabres' defense: Trade Bowen Byram, sign Aaron Ekblad and other options to explore
The Buffalo Sabres' blue line isn't built properly. The past few years have made that clear. It's not that the Sabres don't have talented players on defense. Rasmus Dahlin is a superstar worth the team's significant investment. Owen Power has gone through some growing pains, but his potential is still evident. Bowen Byram is fresh off a career-best season with 38 points. Advertisement The problem is that all three of those players are lefties. And all three are offensive-minded, puck-carrying defensemen. The Sabres ended the season with only two right-handed defensemen. And Connor Clifton is the only defenseman on the depth chart who plays a rugged game, but he's been a third-pairing player for most of his time in Buffalo. So, how do the Sabres go about fixing this? It's going to take more than one move, and it doesn't appear there are internal candidates in the prospect pool to solve all the problems next season. Here are the questions and potential solutions facing Buffalo's blue line this summer. We know Dahlin, the team's captain and best player, isn't going anywhere. So, if the Sabres were to make a trade to change the mix on defense, Power and Byram are the two most attractive trade chips at their disposal. Despite a recent injury, Power likely has more trade value since he is signed long-term, is a recent No. 1 pick and is already a proven and reliable point producer in the NHL. He's still working through some defensive deficiencies, but there's no doubt he would be sought after on the trade market. Byram is probably the easier player to trade. He's a restricted free agent this summer, so the Sabres are at a fork in the road with the 23-year-old. That's why it wasn't a shock to see Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman report that the Sabres are gauging the trade value for Byram, who recently changed agents. If they don't believe they have the proper role to maximize Byram's ability or the cap space to pay another left-handed defenseman big money, it makes sense to move him for someone who could fill a more obvious need in their lineup. The flip side is that Byram is one of the few players on the Sabres' roster who has playoff experience. He has shown leadership traits and played well when paired with Dahlin this season. On top of that, he stayed healthy for all 82 games this season. It's clear the Sabres got the better end of the Byram for Casey Mittelstadt swap. But the same question remains from the day general manager Kevyn Adams acquired Bryam: How does he fit long-term? Advertisement Mattias Samuelsson started to find his game toward the end of the season when he was back with Dahlin. Though every defenseman is going to look better when playing with someone of Dahlin's caliber, Samuelsson and Dahlin have been a solid match since Samuelsson got to the NHL. Dahlin prefers the right side, so Samuelsson's being a left-handed, stay-at-home type of defenseman fits well. But he's been unable to stay healthy the past few seasons and hasn't been nearly as physical and nasty as the Sabres need him to be consistently. That has made his $4.285 million cap hit tough to swallow. He might not have a ton of trade value at that number, and it's not worth buying out such a young player who still has some untapped potential. Aaron Ekblad is going to be the top right-handed defenseman on the free-agent market this summer. We must acknowledge the usual caveats that Ekblad could stay with the Florida Panthers or sign in a more desirable location than Buffalo. But he is exactly the type of defenseman the Sabres could use. He's playoff tested, plays with a physical edge and still has enough offensive skill to play high up in the lineup. He'd be an ideal partner for Power and would add some needed nastiness to the Sabres' lineup. Evolving Hockey is projecting Ekblad, 29, to get a six-year deal worth $7.7 million per year. That would likely have to be north of $8 million to convince Ekblad to come to Buffalo. But if you're going to overpay, you do it for a player who has the pedigree Ekblad does at a position of major need. Brent Burns is 40 years old and still searching for his first Stanley Cup. So if he continues to play, Buffalo probably won't be his preferred destination. He hasn't been quite as effective the past couple of seasons, but he might have another season left in the tank. He can't carry the puck like he used to, but Burns is still effective at denying zone entries. If his market isn't as strong as expected, maybe the Sabres could land him. Dante Fabbro was available on waivers earlier this year, and he landed with the Columbus Blue Jackets and played well, getting top-four minutes. He's not a slam-dunk option, but he played some of the best hockey of his career with the Blue Jackets. He's not overly physical, but Fabbro plays more of a stay-at-home style that could pair well with Power. Advertisement The New York Rangers could be a trade partner with the Sabres this summer, considering both teams are trying to change their mix after disappointing seasons. Braden Schneider, a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman, would slot comfortably into Buffalo's top four on defense. Schneider was top 20 among NHL defenseman in hits this season and top 30 in blocked shots. Though he's on the younger side, he would fit into the Sabres' timeline with their other young core pieces. The Rangers wouldn't be eager to trade Schneider, so it would take a significant package to make a deal work. Right-handed defensemen are major commodities in the NHL, so it might seem far-fetched that the Calgary Flames would trade one of these two proven players. But Rasmus Andersson is entering the final season of his contract. MacKenzie Weegar is 31 and might not perfectly fit Calgary's timeline. It also has Zayne Parekh coming through the system as a right-handed defenseman who will push for big minutes in the not-too-distant future. Andersson's contract situation and age make him a more likely trade target. Could the Sabres build a trade package around Byram? Maybe the Flames could include a veteran forward and the Sabres could include a prospect or young roster player to balance things out. The Utah Mammoth are also one of the rare franchises with right-handed defensemen to spare. Michael Kesselring took a noticeable step forward for Utah this season and plays with physicality. He got some time in Utah's top four and handled the task well. He's behind John Marino and Sean Durzi on the depth chart, so it's possible the Sabres could pry him away with a trade. He's a player worth asking about. The Blackhawks need to make room for some of their younger defensemen, so Connor Murphy could be a trade target this summer. He's 32, right-handed and has only one year left on a contract that pays him $4 million. Murphy would be a positive addition to the dressing room and plays with a physicality the Sabres have lacked at times. The big issue is that he's had trouble staying healthy in recent years. But he would make for a useful depth piece. If there's a defenseman in the system who is getting closer to being NHL-ready, it's probably Ryan Johnson. He's a restricted free agent this summer and should push for a roster spot next season. One complicating factor is the presence of Jacob Bryson, whom the Sabres signed to a one-year extension in March. Johnson and Bryson are lefties on a lefty-heavy depth chart. Johnson's game isn't overly physical, but he's effective at exiting the zone given his skating and passing ability. It's also fair to wonder if the Sabres might explore a Dennis Gilbert reunion after trading him to the Ottawa Senators at the deadline. Gilbert is an unrestricted free agent and became a favorite in the dressing room for his selflessness and toughness. But again, he's also a lefty, and the Sabres are already stocked with left-shot defensemen. (Photos of Bowen Byram and Aaron Ekblad: Marc DesRosiers and Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
