The Buffalo Sabres moved early and locked in one of their young forwards, signing Noah Östlund to an eight-year extension with a $6.6 million average annual value on Monday morning.
The timing matters almost as much as the contract itself. Tuesday is the league-wide deadline, and once the new Collective Bargaining Agreement kicks in, every new NHL deal will be capped at seven years. That puts Östlund among the last players in league history eligible for an eight-year term.
Buffalo’s bet is built on more than raw scoring. Östlund, 22, put up 27 points in his rookie season, with 11 goals and 16 assists across 60 games, and earned trust quickly with the kind of disciplined, reliable two-way play coaches love. Back in April, head coach Lindy Ruff singled out his hockey IQ, saying Östlund rarely needs correction because he reads the play so well and stays positionally sound, especially in his own end.
His brief playoff run offered a little more of the same. Östlund was limited to two postseason appearances because of injury, but he still left a mark, including a setup through traffic for a teammate in his playoff debut against Boston and an empty-net goal later on.
The Sabres drafted Östlund 16th overall in 2022, then watched him spend two seasons developing in Sweden’s professional ranks before he joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2024-25. By the time he reached the NHL last season, he was already showing a maturity that fit the pro game.
The price tag is notable given his modest production, but it also tells you exactly how Buffalo views him: as part of the future. Östlund is now the tenth Sabres player signed through at least the 2029-30 season, joining forwards Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Tage Thompson, Josh Doan, Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn, along with defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
The reaction from Sabres fans leaned positive, with many seeing the contract as a smart swing on a young player at a time when the cap keeps climbing. One fan put it this way: “Remember that it makes sense to bet on these young kids early because even if they don’t pan out, GMs can buy out players before age 26 at 1/3, so the cost would only be 2.2M per year, and in a rising cap environment, that’s nothing.”
In Other News...
Sabres Just Made A Long-Term Bet On A Young Forward
The Sabres have decided they are not waiting to see whether Alexander Ostlund becomes a bigger part of their present before locking him into their future. Buffalo signed the young forward to a long-term deal that reflects the organizations belief that his value goes beyond the role he has filled so far, with Ostlund spending much of his NHL time in a bottom-six spot while also bouncing between Buffalo and Rochester.
Ostlund, the 16th overall pick in 2022, is now part of a broader roster plan that keeps several core pieces under team control through at least 2029-30. The length of the commitment says plenty about how the Sabres view his trajectory, and so does the structure of the deal, which gives him protections later on as Buffalo tries to build a more stable lineup around its young group. [Read more 🡒]
Jiri Kulich Now Faces A Huge Sabres Question At Center
Jiri Kulich has been back on the ice, and for the Sabres that alone is an encouraging development after a long stretch without him in an NHL game. The young forward has been skating and training again, and the early word around him has been positive from both Radim Mrtka and head coach Lindy Ruff, which gives Buffalo a little more reason to keep an eye on him heading into camp.
The bigger issue now is where Kulich fits in a roster that still needs answers down the middle. Buffalos struggles at the faceoff dot last season made center a glaring area of concern, and Kulich is expected to get a real look for a top-line job when training camp opens. He will have to show he can handle that responsibility quickly, because the Sabres need more than just health here - they need a center who can help stabilize a key weakness. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Made Their Belief In Noah Ostlund Impossible To Miss
Noah Ostlunds rise from a 2022 first-round pick to a player Buffalo wants locked into its future has been quick and unmistakable. After two seasons in Sweden, the forward came over to Rochester and then made enough of an impression in his rookie NHL season that the Sabres moved to secure him as part of their long-term plans.
The extension gives Buffalo another young piece to build around, and it also keeps Ostlund in the same conversation as the clubs other core names already under contract deep into the decade. For a team trying to stabilize its direction, the message here is clear: the Sabres are betting big that Ostlunds early promise is only the start. [Read more 🡒]