Sabres' Carrick Stuck It Out Before Trade

Sam Carrick grinded through a decade of AHL shuttles and depth roles across Toronto, Anaheim, Edmonton and New York before Buffalo finally cashed in draft picks to snag him. The 34-year-old center never lost faith, even as he captained minors teams and won over 52% of his faceoffs league-wide. Buffalo, dead last in draws at 45%, sees him as the fix for their bottom-six woes in a season where every puck battle counts.