Sabres still interested in bringing Jost back and the feeling is mutual
If Tyson Jost is going to return to the Buffalo Sabres next season, it’ll likely come at a lower cost than his most recent contract.
Jost, 25, was not extended a qualifying offer by Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent. The forward is coming off a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2 million. His actual salary this season was $2.25 million, the required value of a qualifying offer.
Buffalo claimed Jost off waivers from the Minnesota Wild in November. He had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 59 games with the Sabres.
He jelled quickly with the tight-knight roster and at the end of the season, expressed to the front office and coaches, as well as reporters, his desire to be back with the group next season.
“I’ve definitely loved my time in Buffalo here and it’s been amazing,” he said on April 15. “I couldn’t have asked for things to work out any better. I’m really, really happy that I ended up here. … I see such a bright future. Just like the locker room and the camaraderie and how everybody clicks here is just amazing. So, it’s definitely something that I want to be a part of and that’s something I made pretty well known.”
The interest is mutual. General manager Kevyn Adams has said he’d like to re-sign him and has already had conversations with his representatives.
“We’ve talked to them the last number of weeks about how he’s someone that we’d love to have back and the ball’s in his court a little bit now,” Adams said Tuesday.
Restricted free agent forwards Brett Murray and Linus Weissbach were the only two to be extended qualifying offers.
Each is eligible for arbitration and spent the entirety of the 2022-23 season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
Murray, 24, set career highs across the board, with 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points in 71 games. He finished second on the team in goals behind rookie Jiri Kulich and third in points. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound winger followed that up with a strong showing in the Calder Cup Playoffs, with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 14 games.
Weissbach also set new highs in his second professional season, with 47 points (20 goals and 27 assists) in 69 games and had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the playoffs. The 25-year-old Swede has enhanced his game under Rochester coach Seth Appert, adding grit and tenacity to his speedy, skilled style. His edge and versatility could earn him a look in Buffalo at some point.
In addition to Jost, the Sabres also did not qualify defenseman Kale Clague and forward Matej Pekar.
Clague, 25, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo last summer. He began last season with the Amerks, earning a handful of call-ups over the first two months before becoming a permanent fixture on the NHL roster following a recall in early December. He had four assists in 33 games with the Sabres.
Pekar, 23, has battled injuries since turning pro in 2020-21. He had his healthiest season in 2021-22, playing 47 games in Rochester and collecting six points (three goals, three assists). He split this past season with the Amerks and Cincinnati Cyclones, the Sabres’ ECHL affiliate. He had four points, all assists in 14 games with Rochester and 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 28 appearances with Cincinnati.
The Sabres selected Pekar in the fourth round (No. 94) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
See also: Buffalo Sabres 2023 off-season tracker