The 22-year-old forward had 27 points in 60 games with Buffalo as a rookie last season
The Buffalo Sabres were one of a number of clubs to get youngsters signed to long-term extensions before the September 15th deadline, locking up forward Noah Ostlund to an eight-year, $52.8 million deal. The signing is a calculated roll of the dice for the Sabres, who see a player that has already shown two-way ability, but has yet to prove his ability to score consistently.
The 22-year-old forward’s deal, according to Puckpedia, is slightly front-loaded, paying Ostlund $8.1 million in year 1, $7.65 million in year 2 (with a $3.75 million signing bonus in each year), $6.6 million in year 3, $6.4 million in year 4, $6.1 million in year 5, and $6 million in years 6, 7, and 8. The contract also has a seven-team modified no trade clause that kicks in at the start of year 5.
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The deal, negotiated with agent JP Barry of CAA, is consistent with many of the deals that Buffalo has signed in recent years, with little or no signing bonus included.
The contracts of 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 the deals, but throughout.
The deal, compared to the eight-year, $84 million deal signed by Washington’s Ryan Leonard, is potentially a bargain for Buffalo, if Ostlund continues to grow and improve as a player. One concern the Sabres should have is the 2022 first rounder’s durability. He missed significant time in his first AHL season with Rochester, missed nearly a month at the end of last season with an upper-body injury, and played three playoff games before suffering a lower-body injury that ended his season.
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