Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Connor Clifton from Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres continue to overhaul their roster at NHL Draft weekend, as the team moved out stay-at-home defenceman Connor Clifton to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for defenceman Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau. 

The 39th overall draft pick was also included in the deal, as the Penguins used the pick to select Peyton Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. Kettles is a 17-year-old blueliner who scored five goals and 14 points with the Broncos last season.

Clifton, 30, joins the Penguins blueline and brings some nasty to the defence core. He's appeared in 384 NHL careers, scoring 15 goals and 77 points, and will bring a serious element of physicality to the table, much more than what the Penguins were receiving from Timmins, who was acquired mid-season last year in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Sabres have seen Timmins a lot in their division and know what to expect from the 6-foot-4 d-man, who can move the puck, has a great shot, however, isn't as physical as you'd like to see for someone with his type of size.

Clifton, on the other hand, is entering the final season of a three-year contract, set to earn $3.33 million AAV. Timmins is a restricted free agent, in search of a new deal. The 26-year-old made $1.1 million last season and recorded three goals and 15 points in 68 games split between the Leafs and Pens. 22-year-old left-handed blueliner Isaac Belliveau rounds out the trade and continues to await his NHL debut, after spending the last two seasons in the AHL and ECHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Wheeling Nailers, which followed a standout junior career with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL.

Photo credit:  Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images