Buffalo Sabres: Re-signing Girgensons should come as no surprise

This isn’t an NHL video game

It’s also appropriate to say that professional hockey is not a rendition of an NHL video game. There are real-life aspects that a video game can never emulate, like the fact that players would want a player to return so they can continue to feel their presence, feed off their energy, and leadership.

Girgensons brings all of that, and it’s a rather unseen aspect of the pro game. Many only see what they can, and they will look at Girgensons’ lack of offensive productivity, age, the fact he’s never seen the playoffs as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, and write him off in favor of a prospect.

While the idea is tempting, and even something that I’ve done in the recent past, Girgensons still carries too much value to have just let walk or test the free agent market without making a concentrated effort to re-sign. So yes, it would have been fun to see another prospect rise through the ranks and take his empty spot, especially one who scores more often.

But at the same time, not only are the defensive and physical aspects of Girgensons’ game more than valuable, his ability to help shape the next generation of leaders on this Sabres team will also pay dividends. Those unseen aspects, in other words.