Buffalo Sabres Extend Qualifying Offers To Seven

The Buffalo Sabres have extended qualifying offers to seven players ahead of the opening of the NHL’s free agent period, the team announced Monday.

Players who received qualifying offers from the Sabres include Mark Pysyk, Johan Larsson and Nathan Lieuwen. Jerry D’Amigo, Tim Schaller, Jerome Leduc and Philip Varone also received qualifying offers from the team.

Pysyk, 23, spent most of last season with the Rochester Americans, appearing in 54 games with the AHL club. He registered 17 points and 32 penalty minutes in that time. Pysyk also appeared in seven games with the Sabres, notching three points and a plus-4 rating.

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Pysyk is arguably one of the Sabres’ best young defenseman, with 70 games of NHL experience but also that solid AHL presence. He suffered a mystery illness that forced him to miss part of the season between February and April, but has been cleared and should be roaring to get an NHL spot this October.

Larsson, 22, split last season between Buffalo and Rochester.

In 44 games with the Amerks, he registered 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 total points. He also notched 16 points in 39 games with the Sabres last year and has a total of 68 NHL games under his belt; all but one of those has been with the Sabres.

Lieuwen, 23, missed most of last season due to injury. He appeared in just 16 games for the Amerks, recording a 4-9-0 record in that time. He had a .883 save percentage and 3.29 GAA in that period before being sidelined.

Lieuwen’s history with concussions has been a troublesome point in many eyes, and his future at times seems questionable, but at least for now, the Sabres are taking a chance on him. Provided he accepts the qualifying offer, he’ll return to the Amerks and likely be the starter there.

D’Amigo, 24, split last season between the Amerks, Sabres and the Springfield Falcons.

He appeared in 28 games with the Falcons prior to being traded to the Buffalo Sabres organization; after the trade, he played mostly in Rochester. Overall, D’Amigo registered 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 59 AHL games. He also appeared in nine games with the Buffalo Sabres before being sidelined by injury.

Schaller, 24, spent most of last year with the Amerks, where he was an offensive machine. Schaller put up 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points in 65 games, second on the team in points and first in assists. He also had 116 penalty minutes.

Last season also saw Schaller make his NHL debut and score his first NHL goal. All in all, he appeared in 18 games with the Sabres and notched two points.

Leduc, 22, spent all of last season in Rochester. The defenseman put up 25 points (6-19) in 76 games. He also had 59 penalty minutes and finished the season a minus-11.

Leduc was third on the team in defensive scoring. The season prior, in 2013-14, he split between the AHL and ECHL, but became a mainstay on the Amerks’ blueline this past season and appeared in all but two games — most of any Rochester defenseman.

Varone, 24, spent most of last season with Rochester, but also got a solid opportunity in Buffalo.

In 55 games with the Amerks, he recorded a team-high 44 points, including 15 goals and 29 assists. He also appeared in 28 games with the Sabres, notching five points in that time. Varone had previously played nine NHL games with the Sabres in the 2013-14 season and is consistently at or near the top of the scoresheet for the Amerks.

Not on the Sabres’ list for qualifying offers were Zac Dalpe, Kevin Sundher and Jordan Samuels-Thomas.

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