Penguins, Sabers Swap Bennett MacArthur, Colton Poolman

On By Littum

Penguins traded winger Bennett MacArthur to the Sabers on Friday in exchange for a defenseman Colton Poolmanconfirmed both teams. The replacement of minor-leaguers comes in connection with a corresponding trade between Pittsburgh and Buffalo’s AHL affiliates in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Rochester, which saw the 25-year-old winger Jagger Joshua manager from WBS to the Sabres’ system for future consideration.

MacArthur’s brief stint in the Penguins organization ends with the move. An undrafted free agent signed by the Lightning in 2022, the 23-year-old spent most of his time in the ECHL before the Bolts traded him to Pittsburgh for Lukas Svejkovsky June last year. Svejkovsky and Tampa Bay have since mutually terminated his contract.

As he had done in Tampa, MacArthur failed to crack the AHL roster in the Penguins organization. He has spent this entire season on assignment to ECHL Wheeling, where he has struggled tremendously with just three goals and seven points in 28 appearances. He had 32 points in 55 games for ECHL Orlando and Allen last season while under contract with the Lightning.

MacArthur will report to the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester for the time being, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him assigned to their ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville in short order. The Prince Edward Island native will be a restricted free agent this summer and has no points in six career games in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch.

To Pennsylvania comes Poolman, the younger brother of the LTIR-bound Avalanche defenseman Tucker Poolman. The 29-year-old signed a two-way deal with Buffalo over the summer after four seasons in the Flames organization, but has not established himself as a regular in Rochester, registering just one assist and a -2 rating in five appearances so far. .

He heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in search of more playing time, while the Pens organization hopes he can recapture the strong home game he displayed with the Flames’ AHL affiliates in Stockton and Calgary. He is two years removed from a career-high 14-point, +18 rating season in 64 games.