Penguins Trade with Buffalo; Get Clifton & 2nd Rounder (Peyton Kettles)

The Pittsburgh Penguins were not done working the phones. General Manager Kyle Dubas made two trades in the first round of the NHL Draft and then began Day 2 by making a trade with the Buffalo Sabres to get back into the second round.

The Penguins traded restricted free agent defenseman Conor Timmins and Wheeling Nailers defenseman Isaac Belliveau to Buffalo in exchange for defenseman Connor Clifton and Buffalo’s second-round pick. With that pick, the Penguins selected raw defenseman Peyton Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos.

At the very least, this is a win for Dubas’s asset management. He acquired Timmins and Connor Dewar at the NHL trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs for only a fifth-round choice. The summer of Dubas’s handiwork is: a fifth-round pick for Dewar, Clifton, and a second-round pick (Kettles).

Generally, the scouting services ranked Kettles in the 60s, and the Penguins took him with the 39th pick, but that’s been par for the weekend as all of the Penguins’ first four picks, including Kettles, ranked might lower than their selection.

Kettles is a big, right-handed defenseman at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds. However, he does not play with much sandpaper. Instead, the defenseman chooses a steady, quiet game, which can sometimes appear invisible. With Swift Current, he’s playing 22 minutes per game and on both special teams. According to Neutral Zone Scouting, Kettles averages 1.89 blocked shots per game and nine takeaways per game.

Despite the scouting reports, Kettles touted his desire and enjoyment of playing a physical game.

“My favorite part of my game is how well I skate, and I’m able to maneuver around guys skating on the ice,” said Kettles. “I also love being physical and being able to hit guys and do that part of the game as well.”

Kettles also played with 2022 Penguins first-round pick Owen Pickering at Swift Current.

“I definitely have a really good relationship with Owen. Definitely started my Western League career with him, and we were D partners for a long time,” Kettles said. “So, I’m definitely happy to reunite with him.

The D-man is a Winnipeg Native and played for Team Canada in the U-18 Hlinka Cup last season.

Clifton is a defenseman who hasn’t reached the offensive defenseman potential that was forecast while he played for Quinnipiac in the ECAC. At this point in his career, Clifton is a disposable third-pairing righty defenseman whose career high is five goals.

In 73 games with Buffalo last season, Clifton had one goal and 15 assists.