The Buffalo Sabres used one of their two compliance buyouts on defenseman Christian Erhoff this weekend.
The 31-year-old signed a 10-year, $40 million deal with the Sabres and was set to make an annual earning of $4 million until the 2020-21 season. Ehrhoff had played just three seasons into the 10-year contract and put up 33 points in 79 games last season, in Buffalo. While the deal is shocking, given Ehrhoff’s age and performance, the recapture penalty may have been one of the deciding factor in buying out the German defenseman.
Another factor is that Christian Ehrhoff did not want to be in Buffalo. According to John Vogl, Ehrhoff wanted out of Buffalo and general manager Tim Murray made it very clear that if someone doesn’t want to be a part of the Sabres organization, they will find a way to get them out:
John Vogl @BuffNewsVogl
But frankly, Tim Murray says, Christian Ehrhoff’s desire to not be part of the Sabres and defenseman’s inability to improve the team are huge.
John Vogl @BuffNewsVogl
Sabres GM Tim Murray says he’s made it clear that if someone does not want to be in Buffalo, he’ll get them out. So bye, Christian Ehrhoff.
The Moers native has played 9 seasons in the National Hockey League with the San Jose Sharks, and the Vancouver Canucks before joining the Buffalo Sabres in the 2011-12 season.
While not a franchise defenseman or even a number one on most teams, Ehrhoff is still a very good blue-liner and can provide stability on any defensive core in a second line pairing role. His offensive input has been decent as well, putting up 313 points in 692 career games. On a second line pairing, Ehrhoff can bring a veteran presence and there are a handful of teams with holes to fill on their blue-line. Ehrhoff may just be the best defenseman available now in a weak UFA market.
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