The Buffalo Sabres determined defender Brandon Davidson is worthy of a contract for 2020-21. The 29-year-old didn’t play much in 2019-20 but he did just enough to get another job going into next season. The terms of the deal are one year at $700,000. This deal carries him through the 2020-21 season.
We have signed defenseman Brandon Davidson to a one-year contract with an AAV of $700,000.
Details: https://t.co/4VJhj7eLJM pic.twitter.com/v0P4yCB4qH
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 10, 2020
Brandon Davidson Signs Buffalo
Davidson was a spare piece in the recent season. He started the year with the Calgary Flames but was traded to the San Jose Sharks near the deadline. The former sixth-round pick would ultimately play in 12 games with no points, 24 hits and 20 blocks. There is nothing that stood out on teams that already had somewhat packed bluelines already. Davidson did post a very good 53.9 percent Corsi For and 4.3 Corsi For Relative so his new team might view him as an underused possession defender.
The Edmonton Oilers originally selected Davidson in the sixth round of the 2010 Draft. He debuted in 2014-15 but his first real season was 2015-16. That was Davidson’s best season with four goals and 11 points in 51 games along with 74 hits and 92 blocks. Overall, the veteran defender has just nine goals and 23 points in 174 games but he does have almost 300 hits and blocks. He looks like a reasonable penalty-killer if his new squad decides to give him more regular playing time.
What This Means for the Future
This opportunity means more for Davidson than it does for the team. His advanced stats indicate a player who should probably skate more often but he looks more like an average seventh defender. He seems more like a seventh defender who only plays when someone is hurt or needs a rest for a game. There is nothing wrong with that but it isn’t especially exciting. However, he is cheap and won’t hurt the team as it pursues more additions for the coming season.
