3 players the Buffalo Sabres will sign to long-term deals this offseason
By Sion Fawkes
One reason the Buffalo Sabres won’t pull off a blockbuster at the trade deadline is that they will look to re-sign their own talent.
The Buffalo Sabres are getting better, evidenced by their 26-20-4 record (56 points) and the fact they are currently third in scoring. The Blue and Gold are also the league’s youngest team brimming with potential.
Their next order of business? Make sure their young talent stays in the Queen City long-term. And last offseason, we saw them hard at work, extending center Tage Thompson for seven seasons before doing the same with defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
Both players are game-changers and are huge reasons the Sabres are in playoff contention. This offseason, there are three more players you can expect general manager Kevyn Adams to lock up for at least the next half-decade, if not longer.
1 – Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin has molded into one of the NHL’s best two-way players. He has 55 points in 41 games, 14 goals, and 41 assists, meaning he will shatter his previous career-high of 53 points in 80 games that he set last season. Scoring is only one part of Dahlin’s game, as he is arguably the team’s most aggressive defenseman.
Look for Dahlin’s contract extension to be Adams’ top priority this summer. And once he’s locked in for seven to eight seasons, expect the Sabres best defenseman to regularly contend for the Norris Trophy.
2 – Tyson Jost
As a restricted free agent, the Buffalo Sabres have a good chance to re-sign Jost back to their roster. Jost, who didn’t live up to expectations in Colorado, has fit in well with the Blue and Gold and will fill the lower lines for the next few seasons if the Sabres can work out a deal with him.
He won’t cost anywhere near as much, nor would be sign on for as long. But since he’s proven himself to be a valuable asset who immediately improved the Mittelstadt line, Jost is one of those players who won’t score often, but his presence has and will continue to bring more wins to Buffalo.
3 – Dylan Cozens
Also a restricted free agent, Cozens is a shoo-in to return to the Sabres. Cozens has 43 points in 49 games, and like Dahlin, will shatter his previous career high. Don’t be surprised when Adams re-signs Cozens to a contract length similar to what we will see with Dahlin.
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You can also expect an even greater return on investment as Cozens begins to enter his prime. Look for the aggressive leader of the Kid Line to likely get something in the realm of what Tage Thompson got this past summer.
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