SABRES ACQUIRE BAYREUTHER FROM CAROLINA IN EXCHANGE FOR NEUCHEV
Veteran defenseman had 13 points in 33 games for AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season
Jan 24, 2026The Buffalo Sabres announced today that the team has acquired defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Viktor Neuchev. He subsequently will be reassigned to Rochester.
Bayreuther, 31, began the season by recording 13 points (4+9) in 33 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season while under NHL contract with Carolina.
He spent the 2024-25 season with Lausanne HC in the National League (Switzerland), scoring five goals and adding 18 assists in 52 regular-season games. He added two goals and six assists in 18 playoff games as Lausanne HC advanced to the championship series before falling to the ZSC Lions in five games.
A native of Canaan, New Hampshire, the undrafted Bayreuther has appeared in 122 career NHL games with Dallas and Columbus, totaling 28 points (5+23). The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman has played in 271 career AHL games with Texas, Cleveland and Chicago, scoring 29 goals and adding 101 assists for 130 points.
Prior to turning professional, Bayreuther spent four seasons at St. Lawrence University, where he was a three-time ECAC All-Star selection (2014, 2016, 2017) and was twice named to the NCAA Second All-American Team in 2016 and 2017. In 142 career games for the Saints, he totaled 111 points (35+76). As a freshman, he led all team defensemen and ranked third on the team in scoring with 36 points (9+27) in 38 games en route to earning ECAC Rookie of the Year and ECAC All-Rookie Team honors.