The Buffalo Sabres traded forwards Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winger Dominik Kahun.

The Sabres get: A good complementary scoring winger who has steadily improved as he grows accustomed to the NHL and there is still more untapped potential. Kahun’s Pts/60 jumped from 1.9 last year (pretty good) to 2.4 this season (very, very good). Granted, playing with Evgeni Malkin will do that to a person, yet surprisingly just four of his 27 points were tallied alongside Malkin. If he can bring that same production to the Sabres on the second or third line, then Buffalo upgraded Conor Sheary.

The Penguins get: an old friend back. Sheary showed chemistry with Sidney Crosby back in 2016-17 when he got 53 points. He managed just 30 the following year, and was taken off the line multiple times through that year as he struggled to regain that same chemistry. And then he was traded. This is a second chance for Sheary, who may not get another one. He’s 27 years old and playing for a contract. Evan Rodrigues is a borderline NHLer who feels he can bring more to the table, as he had asked for the Sabres to trade him. On the Penguins he brings experience to the fourth line. Over the past month, the team has used several AHL players with varying degress of success. This move, if nothing else, gives them another NHL body.

Fantasy Players Impacted: Sheary goes from zero value to boom-or-bust status. I can see a Jason Zucker – Sidney Crosby – Conor Sheary line. But the leash definitely won’t be a long one this time. Not with so many other players anxious to be tried there (such as fellow newcomer Patrick Marleau). Still, boom-or-bust is a huge status improvement from “zero”. This is another move that knocks Dominik Simon down the lineup. Meanwhile, Kahun loses his elite linemate in Malkin and instead is probably looking at Marcus Johansson and Jeff Skinner.

Fantasy Players this helps, in order:

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Fantasy Players this hurts, in order: