Beck Malenstyn didn’t sound like a player who took Buffalo’s support for granted when he talked Tuesday about his new six-year deal with the Sabres. If anything, the winger made it clear the city’s response down the stretch played a real role in bringing him back.
The 28-year-old Canadian, who signed a contract extension in late June with a $2.9 million AAV, said the atmosphere around the team and the community mattered a lot as the sides worked toward an agreement.
"I think the biggest thing for the city was finally being able to take the truth that it's a hockey city," Malenstyn said. "You know, everyone said it's a bigger hockey city than a football city - like, have you seen the Bills fans?
I don't think that's true, right? These guys are crazy.
You know, seeing the passion our city had rallying around us coming down the stretch there and into the playoffs was just so much fun to be a part of, so much fun to play in.
"Every small community was rallying behind. Our neighborhood that we lived in, you had kids running around in jerseys and it was just really exciting to see.
Honestly, it was a huge motivator to come back. You see that kind of passion in a fanbase or around a team in a community, it's something you just want to immerse into and hopefully keep that energy around."
For a fourth-line player, that kind of term raised some eyebrows around the NHL. But Buffalo clearly sees more in Malenstyn than the box score line suggests. He brings the kind of pace and edge the Sabres want, handles penalty-kill work, and even found a way to chip in a few highlight-reel goals during the 2025-26 season.
His production was modest - 14 points in 81 games - but the rest of his game traveled. Malenstyn finished with 282 hits, good for fifth in the NHL, and added 75 blocked shots. He also ranked third on the team in PK ice time, trailing only Ryan McLeod and Alex Tuch.
That role may only become more important next season after Tuch’s sign-and-trade departure to the Washington Capitals.
Buffalo’s roster picture, though, is getting crowded in a hurry. Once RFA center Peyton Krebs signs a new deal or goes through arbitration, the Sabres will have 15 forwards for 13 spots. The fourth line alone features five players for three openings: Malenstyn, Krebs, Sam Carrick, Justin Danforth and Tyson Kozak.
One straightforward path would be waivers for Danforth and Kozak, with a move to the AHL’s Rochester Americans if they clear. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen also tried to get ahead of that possibility by signing Conor Sheary in free agency.
Even then, the squeeze may not stop there. Someone from the Malenstyn, Krebs and Carrick group could still end up on the outside because Buffalo also has too many top-nine forwards. At the same time, it’s tough to picture Jason Zucker, Jack Quinn or Jiri Kulich dropping to the fourth line.
That leaves Kekalainen with more sorting to do before training camp. Quinn has already come up in trade talk tied to Buffalo’s pursuit of Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and a bigger move that sends out roster players for an upgrade in net would make sense on paper. The Sabres have also been connected to Patrick Kane, the Buffalo native and future Hockey Hall of Fame winger, which would create another lineup puzzle.
So while the roster still needs work, one thing is settled: Malenstyn is staying put, and he’ll be back in his familiar fourth-line spot after Buffalo gave him the long-term commitment.
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