The Carolina Hurricanes added another young forward to their organization on Monday, landing Stiven Sardarian from the Buffalo Sabres in a deal for future considerations.
Buffalo’s return in the trade has not been finalized.
Sardarian, 23, brings a clear offensive track record to Carolina. Last season at Michigan Tech, he put up 12 goals and 32 assists for 44 points in 37 NCAA games. That came after a strong 2024-25 season with the Huskies, when he recorded 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points in 35 games.
The Sabres originally took Sardarian in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, 88th overall. In that draft year, he had nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 50 games with CSKA Red Army Jr. in Russia’s MHL.
After being drafted, Sardarian moved to the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL and posted eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 46 games during his first post-draft season.
His college path started at New Hampshire in 2022-23, when he managed two goals and five assists for seven points in 29 games. He took a step forward the next year, finishing with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 32 games before transferring to Michigan Tech.
At 6’2″ and 187 pounds, Sardarian is viewed as a skilled, offensively inclined forward whose size and production have both grown since draft day. He has not signed his entry-level NHL contract yet, so Carolina still needs to work out terms with him to keep him in the system.
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