- Elliotte Friedman reports the Sabres are re-signing Beck Malenstyn to a six-year deal worth around $3 million per season
- The new contract roughly doubles the $1.375 million cap hit Malenstyn played on the past two years
- Read below for what Buffalo is paying for and how Malenstyn’s season backed it up
Buffalo locked up one of its pending free agents before the market even opened.
Elliotte Friedman reported Sunday night that Beck Malenstyn will re-sign with the Sabres, with the deal expected to be finalized in the coming days. It runs six years at around $3 million per season, roughly $18 million in total.
That number more than doubles the $1.375 million cap hit Malenstyn carried on the two-year contract he signed back in 2024.
Buffalo is paying for a specific job, and Malenstyn does it as well as anyone. He set a Sabres single-season record with 282 hits this past year, fifth-most among all NHL skaters. He chipped in 75 blocked shots on top of that.
The offense stays modest. Malenstyn put up seven goals and 14 points in 81 games, then added three points across 13 playoff appearances against Boston and Montreal.
He flashes more than the counting stats suggest. Check out this breakaway finish against Carolina from the regular season:
Malenstyn was set to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1. He had named Buffalo his top priority earlier this spring, even with his hometown Canucks reportedly poking around.
The Sabres have been busy this offseason, and keeping a bottom-six identity piece out of the July 1 scramble checks one more box for GM Kevyn Adams.
Malenstyn, 28, now has term through 2032 in a Buffalo bottom six that leans hard on his forecheck and penalty kill.
