The Buffalo Sabres may have landed one of the more manageable long-term bets in their recent wave of extensions.
Noah Ostlund, who signed an eight-year, $52.8 million contract before the September 15 deadline, gives Buffalo a young forward with a two-way foundation and plenty still left to prove offensively. The 22-year-old is coming off a rookie season in which he posted 27 points in 60 games with Buffalo, and the Sabres are betting that production can keep climbing.
The structure of the deal is notable, too. According to Puckpedia, it starts at $8.1 million in year 1, then drops to $7.65 million in year 2, including a $3.75 million signing bonus in each of those first two seasons.
From there, the contract goes to $6.6 million in year 3, $6.4 million in year 4, $6.1 million in year 5, and $6 million in each of the final three seasons. A seven-team modified no trade clause begins at the start of year 5.
The agreement was negotiated by agent JP Barry of CAA, and it fits the pattern Buffalo has followed on several recent contracts, with little or no signing bonus included overall.
That said, the Sabres have also been willing to build in bonuses early on other deals. Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Beck Malenstyn all have or had bonuses in year 1 and/or 2 of their contracts.
Compared with Washington’s eight-year, $84 million deal for Ryan Leonard, Ostlund’s contract could end up looking like a bargain if he keeps developing. The biggest question hanging over it is durability. Ostlund missed significant time in his first AHL season with Rochester, sat out nearly a month at the end of last season because of an upper-body injury, and played three playoff games before a lower-body injury ended his season.
In Other News...
Eric Staals New Sabres Role Comes As Injury Questions Build
The Sabres are adding a familiar face to their bench-adjacent mix this season, with former center Eric Staal set to take on an on-ice coaching role while also continuing his special assistant work for GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Staals new responsibilities are expected to include helping centermen and lending a hand on the power play, giving Buffalo another veteran voice as the team tries to get its groups organized early.
The timing matters because the lineup picture already has a few health questions attached to it. Jason Zucker is recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery and could miss the first two weeks, while Louis Crevier is on track to be ready for the opener after shoulder surgery, and Justin Danforth is likely to begin camp with the club as he works back from knee surgery. For a team trying to settle roles before the games start counting, Staals added presence may be one of the quieter but more useful developments. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Blue Line Battle Is Already Tilting Before Camp Begins
With Bowen Byram gone from the Sabres blue line, Buffalo already has a vacancy to sort through before training camp even opens, and the competition is starting to take shape. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the club will have to account for Louis Creviers offseason shoulder surgery, while also setting up a path for Olen Zellweger, who signed a three-year deal with Buffalo and figures to be in the mix from the start.
Creviers recovery creates a temporary wrinkle, even if the Sabres still expect him back for the regular season, and that leaves the door open for someone else to seize momentum early. Zellweger, meanwhile, should have the benefit of being on the ice for camp and preseason work, which could matter in a battle that may be decided as much by timing and availability as by talent. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Big Hellebuyck Question As Trade Talk Lingers
Connor Hellebuycks name has been circling the league for days, and the Sabres are right there among the teams keeping tabs on the Winnipeg situation. Reports say the Jets have fielded trade inquiries for the goaltender, but the offers have not yet met their price, even as Hellebuyck remains out of camp and interested clubs wait for the asking cost to come down. Buffalo is among the teams linked to the talks, alongside Carolina, San Jose and Edmonton, which is enough to keep the speculation alive without moving it any closer to a conclusion.
For the Sabres, the intrigue is obvious because the search for goaltending help is never far from the front-burner in Buffalo. The front office has at least been mentioned as part of the conversation, but the bigger question is whether the market ever lines up cleanly enough for a real pursuit. For now, the Jets are still shopping for the right return and the Sabres are still waiting like everyone else, hoping the next turn in the standoff makes the path a little clearer. [Read more 🡒]