Hurricanes Acquire Stiven Sardarian

According to a team announcement, the Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Stiven Sardarian‘s signing rights to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations.

It sheds some light on an odd situation. Sardarian, 23, was projected to become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th since he is a prospect from the collegiate ranks and never signed an entry-level contract with the Sabres. However, his becoming an unrestricted free agent hinged on him telling the NHL Central Registry that he was no longer an undergraduate student. He never did.

That effectively put Sardarian in contractual limbo. His signing rights remained with Buffalo, but he had not chosen a place to play for the 2026-27 season, as he is out of NCAA eligibility. His choice not to notify the NHL Central Registry may stem from the Sabres informing him they were negotiating a trade.

He joined Buffalo in 2021 as the 88th overall pick of that summer’s draft. He was playing in Russia at that time but came to North America for his post-draft season with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms.

Since then, Sardarian has been playing in the NCAA. He originally committed to the University of New Hampshire, but never got much opportunity. He ended his tenure there after his sophomore season, having scored nine goals and 21 points in 61 games with a -5 rating.

Transferring to Michigan Tech for his junior and senior campaigns, Sardarian made the most of his increased opportunities. He immediately became one of the better players on the team, registering 23 goals and 79 points in 72 games with a +15 rating, taking home CCHA Player of the Year honors last season.

Given that Carolina went through the effort of acquiring him via trade, despite the low cost, it’s likely that they’ll sign Sardarian to a professional contract of some kind over the next few days, whether it be an entry-level contract or an AHL deal.