Zemgus Girgensons is returning to the Buffalo Sabres.
Zemgus Girgensons is returning to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres announced Tuesday they re-signed the forward to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
“With what the team has here and the steps it’s taken, I definitely would like to be a part of this,” Girgensons said on April 15, as players cleared out their lockers at the end of the season.
Girgensons, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player, likely would have had offers with more term had he tested the open market as a free agent on July 1.
He’s been a valuable player for Buffalo as one of the team's top defensive forwards and most trusted penalty killers. His aggressive, direct, and heavier game provide an element that benefits the team as they look to end their playoff drought.
“He does so many things that make an impact on our team, on and off the ice,” general manager Kevyn Adams said the day after the contract was announced. “He does not cheat the game. If you’re looking at just the pure hockey player, he plays a really important role. He’s so consistent. The guy is so competitive, everything matters to him and he cares so much about this organization, and he plays an important role on our team from an on-ice standpoint.”
Off the ice, Girgensons, 29, has become a respected leader in the locker room and for the past two seasons has served as an alternate captain.
“The person, the leader, the consistency of just his professionalism every day, I think is something that I felt was important," Adams said. “Continue to build moving forward, that our young players will learn from. And he’s excited. Speaking to him [Tuesday], he really believes that we’re about to take a step. He’s put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this organization and wanted to continue that.”
He played 80 games in 2022-23, the most he’s played in his NHL career. He had 10 goals and 18 points, marking the third consecutive season, and fourth time in his career, he’s reached double digits in goals.
A first-round pick (No. 14) by the Sabres in the 2012 NHL Draft, Girgensons has been through a lot since making his NHL debut in the 2013-14 season. Don Granato is the sixth coach he’s played for since then, while Adams is the fourth general manager.