5 worst free agent signings in Buffalo Sabres history – Cap Era

Christian Ehrhoff

Many of you may find Ehrhoff to be the biggest free agent bust on this list. Especially since he signed a 10-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres and in return, they got nothing more than 192 games out of the defenseman. That said, it’s safe to debate whether Ehrhoff’s stint in Buffalo was worse than the jersey he is wearing in the above photo.

Erhrhoff is also a different case, since his rights were technically traded to the Sabres from the New York Islanders on June 29th, 2011. The Islanders actually acquired his rights the previous day from the Vancouver Canucks. He would sign with the Sabres on June 30th for $40 million over 10 seasons, one day before free agency began.

However, in Year One with the Sabres, Ehrhoff wasn’t half-bad. He even showed more promise in Year 2. In fact, he even finished in the top 28 for the All-Star voting and notched a career high in average ice time at 25:11.

Then in Year 3, he faceplanted. While his statistics weren’t bad, he became a turnover machine, notching 61 giveaways. His plus/minus of (-27) was the worst of his career. Exactly three years after Ehrhoff signed in Buffalo, the Sabres bought out his contract and he faded into obscurity after short stints in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Chicago.