The Buffalo Sabres major moves as free agency opened this week were the signings of winger Justin Danforth and goalie Alex Lyon to two-year deals, but they also made other additions that could factor in next season, depending on how head coach Lindy Ruff manipulates his roster.
The club extended forward Tyson Kozak and defenseman Ryan Johnson on three-year deals at the league minimum $775,000 per season. Both deals were identical in that the first year was two-way with a salary of $350,000 if they are playing in the AHL, but one-way in years two and three.
Other Sabres Stories
Sabres Summer Dilemmas - Bowen Byram
Sabres Facing An Off-Season Of Change
Kozak, 22, is an energetic spark plug that fit in well on the Sabres fourth line (3 goals, 2 assists in 21 games) and will push for a full-time job at training camp. Johnson, the club’s first round pick in 2019, played a shutdown role in Rochester with Jack Rathbone, and with the departure of Jacob Bernard-Docker he will get a chance to battle for a bottom-pairing role.
The signings of Mason Geersten, Zach Metsa (who previously was on an AHL deal), and Carson Meyer were to stockpile the Amerks roster, but the other intriguing add was former New York Rangers defenseman Zach Jones to a one-year, two-way deal. The 24-year-old played 46 games for the Rangers last season, but never really was given consistent playing time in New York under both Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette. Jones could battle Johnson, and Jacob Bryson for depth spots on the Sabres blueline.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo