The Sabres made the first move on the day of the expansion draft roster freeze, trading a third-round pick (68th overall) to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. The move is Jason Botterill’s first as Sabres general manager.
Beaulieu, 24, has played in parts of five seasons for the Canadiens. Last season he set a career high for games played, scoring four goals and 24 assists in 74 games. He’s a restricted free agent.
A lefty defenseman, Beaulieu was a first-round pick in the 2011 draft. He started the season on the Canadiens first pair, but moved down as the year went along.