The Buffalo Sabres kept busy Monday, locking up Peyton Krebs on a four-year, $18 million deal, sending Tyler Kopff to the Washington Capitals for prospect Zac Funk, and adding veteran NHL executive John Davidson as a senior adviser.
Krebs, 25, was eligible for arbitration and is coming off the best offensive season of his career. He finished with 12 goals and 27 assists, both career highs. Buffalo originally got him in the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas, and the former first-round pick has now produced 42 goals and 91 assists between the Sabres and Golden Knights.
The move gives Buffalo another established piece in its forward group, while the Kopff deal brings back a different kind of asset in Funk, a fellow prospect.
Davidson’s arrival adds another experienced voice to the front office. The 73-year-old spent 18 seasons as president of hockey operations with St. Louis, Columbus and the New York Rangers, and he now links back up with Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen, who Davidson hired as GM in Columbus.
Buffalo’s latest roster and front-office activity comes after a major breakthrough last season. The Sabres ended an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they fell to Montreal in seven games. That drought had stood as one of the four longest active streaks in North American major sports, trailing only the NFL’s New York Jets, who last made the playoffs in 2010.
“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and look forward to the opportunity to help the organization in any way I can,” Davidson said. “The momentum in Buffalo is palpable throughout the entire league and the passion from Sabres fans makes this opportunity all the more exciting.”
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