What can Henri Jokiharju bring to the Sabres in 2024-25?

The Sabres have been busy this offseason. One move that may be under the radar but could have a major impact is the resigning of Henri Jokiharju. The organization resigned the defenseman this past month to a 1-year deal worth $3.1 million. The cap hit is only at 3.52% for Buffalo.

Last season, the 25-year-old had a breakthrough campaign on the ice. He had career highs in games played at 74 and assists with 17. He also led Buffalo in in plus minus rating with a plus-14 on the year. He also came on strong on the defensive end.

Towards the end of the season, Jokiharju was second on the team with 41 blocked shots. He had two games of 5 blocked shots, both wins against the Washington Capitals in November and the Calgary Flames in March. He finished fourth on the team in the category with 106. He commented about his performance and how he came out strong towards the end. “I think I was playing a little bit with more confidence."

His best game of the season on the offensive end was on February 17th against the Minnesota Wild

He had an assist and scored the game-winning goal in an overtime goal off an Alex Tuch pass. It was the first game winning goal of his five-year career. As the offseason continues to unfold there are many questions for the Sabres. Not the least of which is what will happen at goalie with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen currently in arbitration.

A strong defensive core will be important for Lindy Ruff. Jokiharju will join returning defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram among others. Having some consistency in a new era and offseason of change will be important as the season gets under way. A player like Jokiharju could provide such consistency for the Sabres.