Hurricanes acquire former 3rd-round pick in trade with Sabres

The Carolina Hurricanes are looking to keep a championship-caliber roster together, after winning this past season’s Stanley Cup. Carolina pulled off a trade recently with the Buffalo Sabres.

“The Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Stiven Sardarian to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations,” the Sabres announced on X, formerly Twitter.

Buffalo, like Carolina, had a strong 2025-26 season. The Sabres also made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they lost in a series to the Montreal Canadiens.

Sardarian has yet to post any points in the NHL. He was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

“The St. Petersburg, Russia, native spent the 2025-26 season at Michigan Technological University, recording 44 points (12g, 32a) and 30 penalty minutes in 37 regular-season games,” NHL.com reported.

Hurricanes fans will likely be keeping an eye on the Russian forward in the years ahead. He has made a difference on the teams he has played with.

“He was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) 2026 Forward of the Year and to the First All-Star Team after leading the CCHA in assists and points,” NHL.com added.

In a recent news report of NHL pipeline rankings, the Hurricanes were listed as having the no. 23 pipeline in hockey for 2026. Sardarian will have a chance to compete and stand out in this group of prospects.

“The Carolina Hurricanes’ pipeline lacks a top name, but it’s fairly deep. William Håkansson is a massive, high-compete defenseman, while Bradly Nadeau projects as a legit NHL goal scorer. It’s a solid system full of individuals with a good chance of playing in NHL games,” The Athletic reported.

Time will tell if Sardarian is able to make a name for himself with Carolina in the years ahead.

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