Sabres Sign Restricted Free Agent

The Sabres came to terms with their restricted free agent Beck Malenstyn.

Mar 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Beck Malenstyn (47) moves the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (28) defends during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. The Capitals shutout the Penguins 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres are now one step closer to the 2024 season. The team announced they had tidied up business with one of their restricted free agents and avoided arbitration as they signed forward Beck Malenstyn to a new contract. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman announced the signing via his X account.

Beck Malenstyn and Buffalo have a settlement at 2 x $1.35M

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 23, 2024

The deal is a two-year contract worth $2.7 million, carring an average annual value of $1.35 million. The Sabres acquired Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals during the 2024 NHL Draft. The Sabres sent a second-round pick in exchange for the 26-year old forward.

Malenstyn should add a fiesty and gritty element to the Sabres bottom-six. He's a monster of a player, standing at 6'3 and over 200 pounds. He plays a heavy game, and he can be a nice contrast to some of the skill players in the Sba

Malenstyn is coming off of his best professional season with the Capitals. He played in 81 games with the NHL club, scoring six goals and 21 points in a bottom-six role. 2023 was the first season playing in the NHL for a full season. The year before he recorded 10 points in 40 games with the AHL's Hershey Bears before playing nine games with the Capitals.

The move is a big one for the Sabres. They had three restricted free agents to take care of this offseason. Malenstyn was a tricky situation, with the two sides heading to arbitration to settle their contract negotiations. With this finalized, the team now has just two restricted free agents remaining: forward Peyton Krebs and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

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