There were seven players scheduled for salary arbitration between July 25th and August 4th, and three of them reached a settlement before their hearing date, but according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, the Buffalo Sabres and defenseman Conor Timmins are not close to reaching a new deal. The 26-year-old blueliner was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal for veteran Connor Clifton, a deal that included the Sabres 2025 second-round pick to take on Clifton’s $3.33 million salary.
The St. Catharines, ON native is coming off a 15-point season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Penguins, and it is expected that he will get a slight raise from the $1.1 million salary he made last season, but with the cap going up and the Sabres amongst the teams spending the most on their defense, GM Kevyn Adams will likely try to keep Timmins’ salary as much in check as possible on a one-year deal.
Other Sabres Stories
Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust
Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere
The three other restricted free agents; Seattle winger Kaapo Kakko, NY Islanders winger Maxim Tysplakov, and Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom all received significant pay increases. Kakko signed a three-year deal with the Kraken at a $4.525 million AAV, nearly doubling his salary of $2.4 million. Tysplakov scored 35 points on a one-year ELC with New York and signed a two-year deal worth $2.25 million per season, while Soderblom, who played 36 games with the Blackhawks last season making just under $1 million, will make $2.75 million on a two-year deal.
Timmins hearing is scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd. If the Sabres are looking to keep his cap hit down, the two sides may agree on a one-year deal and walk the right-handed blueliner to unrestricted free agency next July, but if the Sabres are hoping to get him signed for a longer term, his salary will go up exponentially based on buying unrestricted years.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo