The Sabres have not made any huge splashes in free agency, outside of signing goalie Alex Lyon. They have however been looking to sure up some free agents they had. One is left-winger Ryan McLeod.
The 25 year old was due to be a restricted free agent. The Sabres decided to make a move and signed him to a 4-year deal worth $20 million. The contract extension was negotiated on Tuesday.
He seemed to be a priority for the Sabres to resign to a long-term contract extension. He was one of the few bright spots in yet another disappointing season for the Sabres a year ago. He was traded to the Western New York region in July of 2024.
He hit career high marks in points, goals and assists. During the year he had 53 points, 20 goals and 33 assists. He averaged 16:50 ice time during his time throughout the season.
With JJ Peterka being traded, the Sabres need offensive production next season outside of Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. They have players who generate chances but not a lot of goal scorers. McLeod might be one of the strongest potential players for that purpose.
It was in January that the forward had his first ever hat trick. They beat the Hurricanes (who advanced to the Conference Finals) in a 4-2 win. His first goal to kick off the night was 43 seconds in and demonstrated to everyone his ability to score quickly.
Quick goals were something that the Sabres lacked last season. It seemed teams would go up quickly on them and they had to play catch up. If they can utilize a player like McLeod getting a pivotal first goal maybe a way to give them the confidence earlier in games.
General manager recently spoke to NHL.com about the resigning of McLeod. "I felt that this is a really important piece with our team and the role he plays, and we're also buying two years of UFA years in the deal that he signed. So it was a win-win for both sides. If I go back a year ago when we identified him, we made the decision because we thought he had upside," said Adams.
The Sabres may be taking a wait and see approach this free agency. They also seemed to be comfortable with players they have in house or ones they did not wish to let slip away.
McLeod fits the bill and if he improves even more next season, he may be a key under the radar resigning.