The Carolina Hurricanes traded the No. 35 overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft and defenseman Jamie McBain to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Andrej Sekera. Buffalo ultimately used the selection to pick forward JT Compher at No. 35.
McBain's availability had been rumored since the trade deadline. The 25-year-old is entering the final-year of his contract and will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Carolina had expressed an interest in acquiring a top-four defenseman to supplement their corps. Sekera averaged the third most minutes amongst defenseman on the Sabres during the 2013 regular season (21:12 average). The 27-year-old defenseman will be entering the third-year of a four-year, $11 million contract that carries an annual average value of $2.75 million against the salary cap.