*Photo from the Washington Post*
LW Beck Malenstyn and the Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a two year, $2.7 million contract, according to an announcement by the Sabres on Tuesday.
The contract avoids an arbitration hearing between the two sides after the Sabres acquired Malenstyn in a trade in June. He had filed for arbitration as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. His new deal will pay him $1.35 million annually and take him through the end of the 2025-2026 season, where he'll once again be an RFA.
Last season, Malenstyn blossomed in his first full NHL season with the Washington Capitals. He scored 6 goals and added 15 assists for 21 points, averaging 14:15 of ice time per game while posting a -1 rating in 81 games. He went without a point in 4 playoff games.
In his first full season, Malenstyn also made his presence known without the puck. He dished out 241 hits to lead all Capitals skaters and added 93 blocked shots, the most by a Capitals forward. He'll likely have a prominent role on the Sabres 4th line next season.
Malenstyn has played in parts of 4 NHL seasons after being a 5th round draft pick by the Capitals in 2016. He has 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points to his name, posting an even zero rating while averaging 13:08 of ice time per game across 105 regular season games. In 4 career playoff games, he doesn't have a point.
The Sabres acquired Malenstyn during the NHL draft, sending the Capitals a second round pick that was used to draft defenseman Cole Hutson. Forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who played with Malenstyn in Washington last season, signed with the Sabres as a free agent not long after the trade.
Aube-Kubel said of Malenstyn "It was a joy playing with him the whole year. He's a really hard player to play against. That's something I learned when I played against him in the American League. Also, while playing with him, it's not just how many shots he blocks, how many little details. He plays safe, he plays the right way. So, it was a pleasure to play with him this year."
By agreeing to a contract with Malenstyn, the Sabres have two of their 4 RFA's under contract for next season. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has an arbitration hearing scheduled and forward Peyton Krebs is still in need of a new contract, though he doesn't have arbitration rights.
Comments
Post a Comment