Sabres lost Isak Rosen for 2 players who didn't even play in Game 7

It made sense for the Buffalo Sabres to pursue upgrades before the 2026 NHL trade deadline. All of a sudden, they were in contention for a playoff spot.

After 14 years in a row of missing the postseason, they couldn't afford to let this one get away, and so they traded away future assets to try and improve the present.

The moves didn't look terrible at the time.

But one trade now looks pretty painful: The one with the Winnipeg Jets to acquire Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.

The problem, viewed through the lens of the present moment, is that the Sabres didn't feel good enough about either of those defensemen to play them in Game 7 on Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Stanley played most of the postseason, and Schenn got just a brief cameo, before Zach Metsa got his chance at the blue line instead.

Schenn, at his veteran age, is certainly not a part of the future plans.

The Sabres could conceptually find a way to keep Stanley around for the long haul, but that's far from a given at this point, either.

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Meanwhile, they traded away a former first-round pick, Isak Rosen, to highlight the deal with Winnipeg. Buffalo also sent away second- and fourth-round picks, along with Jacob Bryson.

Rosen isn't guaranteed to become a star, but he also has been a quality producer at the AHL level and still has a chance to be a top-six forward.

If he reaches his potential, and all the Sabres got out of Stanley and Schenn was two benchable players at a key juncture, it won't look particularly good.

The deal still makes sense when you think back on it. But it already hasn't aged very well.

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