Sabres add LW Beck Malenstyn, checking line penalty killer, from Caps for 2nd-rounder

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals got a head start on the second day of the NHL draft by making a trade before any selections were made.

The Sabres got fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn from the Capitals for the 43rd pick in a deal completed Saturday. He gives Buffalo valuable forward depth as it tries to end the league’s longest playoff drought.

Malenstyn, 26, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. The Delta, British Columbia, native had 21 points in 81 games, averaging over 14 minutes of ice time during his first full season in the NHL.

The Capitals stayed busy after trading a 2025 second-round pick to Calgary earlier in the week for winger Andrew Mangiapane. Washington also acquired high-paid center Pierre-Luc Dubois from Los Angeles last week for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. General manager Brian MacLellan might not be done because he’d like to change up his team’s mix on defense.

The latest trade of Malenstyn was just the third at the draft involving an active player after the Mangiapane move and St. Louis getting forward Alexandre Texier from Columbus for a fourth-rounder in 2025. The Blues then signed Texier to a two-year extension worth $4.2 million.