Clague played 33 games for the Sabres in 2022-23
The Buffalo Sabres re-signed defenseman Kale Clague to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000, the team announced Wednesday.
Clague, 25, became a free agent last week after he did not receive a qualifying offer from the Sabres.
He played an NHL career high 33 games for Buffalo last season, recording four assists. He began the season with the Rochester Americans before earning a recall at the end of October that lasted three weeks before being reassigned. He was recalled again on Dec. 10 and remained with the Sabres for the rest of the season.
Selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (No. 51) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Clague has 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 91 NHL career games. He has 76 points (17 goals, 59 assists) in 143 career AHL games.
The signing gives the Sabres 10 defensemen under contract who spent most of last season in the NHL after adding Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton as free agents.
“The way I look at it is, we need depth,” general manager Kevyn Adams said on July 2. “It’s a long season. Hopefully, we are a team that is going to make a deep run and you need good solid players that can play. And you never know. Look what’s already happened this summer in terms of one of our key players that goes down. Those things happen, so you need help.”