- Noah Ostlund signed an eight-year extension with the Sabres worth $52.8 million
- The $6.6 million cap hit does not start until the 2027-28 season
- Read below for the full terms, the no-trade protection and why Buffalo moved this week
Noah Ostlund is under contract in Buffalo until 2035.
The Sabres signed the 22-year-old forward to an eight-year extension worth $52.8 million on Monday, the team announced. His cap hit lands at $6.6 million, and it does not kick in until 2027-28.
Tuesday is the last day NHL clubs can hand out eight-year contracts. After that, the new CBA caps every new deal at seven years, so Buffalo took the longest term the rules still allow.
Ostlund is still playing out the final season of his entry-level contract at $886K. Once the extension starts, it carries him to 2034-35, when he turns 31 and hits unrestricted free agency. Pro Hockey Rumors reported the deal also includes a seven-team no-trade list beginning in 2030.
That is a long runway for a forward with 68 NHL games on his resume. He had 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 60 games as a rookie last season, almost all of it in the bottom six, averaging 13:34 a night and finishing plus-11.
Lindy Ruff was asked in April what made Ostlund so easy to drop into a lineup, and he did not hedge.
“He’s a coach’s dream, because those are the type of players you don’t really have to coach. He pretty well knows where he’s going almost every time. Very few times in the D zone does he get out of position.”
Lindy Ruff, in the team’s release
Watch the two-goal night he put on Edmonton last season:
Drafted 16th overall in 2022 out of Djurgarden, he spent two more seasons in Sweden before a full year in Rochester, where he scored 36 points in 45 games. He opened last season back with the Amerks and forced the issue with 10 points in seven games.
A lower-body injury cut his first playoff run short. He still left with a goal and an assist in three games against Boston.
He is now one of 10 Sabres signed through at least 2029-30, a group that includes Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Tage Thompson, Josh Norris and Zach Benson. The core that took shape after the Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram exits is locked in deep into the next decade.
Here is Buffalo’s own video on the signing:
Buffalo opens the season October 1 in Columbus. Ostlund’s raise does not arrive until a year after that.
