The Calgary Flames, parent club of the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, announced on Saturday the acquisition of defenseman Chris Butler and forward Paul Byron from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Flames defensemen Robyn Regehr, forward Ales Kotalik and Calgary’s 2nd round pick in 2012.
Butler, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, spent the last three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres accumulating five goals and 31 assists along with 66 penalty minutes in 155 games.
He was originally drafted by Buffalo in the 4th round (96th overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft and played 27 games for the AHL’s Portland Pirates in 2008-09, posting 12 points (2-10-12).
Byron, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, spent the last two seasons with Portland, where he totaled 40 goals and 46 assists for 86 points and 111 penalty minutes in 124 games. The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2010-11, ranking fourth on the division-champion Pirates in both goals (26) and points (53) in 67 regular-season contests.
Byron also played eight games with the Sabres last season where he picked up his first NHL goal and assist. He was originally drafted by Buffalo in the 6th round (179th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft.
