Bryson Brought Back After Not Being Qualified
The opening day of free agency saw over 100 players sign new contracts, with big names like Steven Stamkos and Jake Guentzel heading to new destinations in Nashville and Tampa Bay. The Buffalo Sabres did not make a majorly impactful addition but did upgrade their depth and experience up front with five signings.
The club announced the signing of forwards Sam Lafferty, Jason Zucker, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and defenseman Dennis Gilbert, and the re-signing of blueliner Jacob Bryson. Lafferty, who played last season with the Vancouver Canucks and had his rights dealt to Chicago last week agreed to a two-year, $4 million deal, with the rest signing one-year deals.
Lafferty played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins after playing four years at Brown University and flourished with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23 before being dealt to Toronto along with another former Sabre Jake McCabe. Last season, the 29-year-old was traded to Vancouver where he scored a career-high 13 goals. He is a speedy and energetic forward who can play center, wing, and special teams.
The 32-year-old Zucker is a versatile winger who has scored 20 goals or more five times in his 12-year NHL career with Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Nashville. He was signed for one year at an AAV of $5 million after scoring 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 69 games last season between the Coyotes and Predators.
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Aube-Kubel, 28, won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 and split time between Washington and AHL Hershey last season, scoring 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 60 games with the Capitals and signed for $1.5 million.
Gilbert, a Buffalo native, played 34 games for Calgary last season and signed a one-year, $825,000 deal, while Bryson played 36 games for the Sabres, who passed on a qualifying offer that would have been in excess of $2 million in favor of a one-year, one-way deal worth $900,000.
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