The Buffalo Sabres have signed free agent Mark Pysyk to a one-year deal worth $900,000. This contract carries him through the 2021-22 season.
The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenceman Brandon Davidson to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
They also signed defencemen Mark Pysyk, Jimmy Schuldt and forward Sean Malone to one-year, two way contracts. pic.twitter.com/Cvl9OUv74d
— Complete Hockey News (@CompleteHkyNews) July 28, 2021
Mark Pysyk Signed by Buffalo Sabres
Over his nine-year NHL career, Pysyk has played for the Sabres, Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers. He has put up 25 goals and 67 assists for 92 career points in 453 career games. He was originally drafted in the first round, 23rd overall of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
This past season in Dallas, he scored three goals and one assist for four points in 36 games. He also added 20 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 53.1 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.4. He starts the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone, a reliable player in his own end of the ice.
What This Means for the Future
Coming into the NHL as a defensive defenceman, Pysyk has grown his game to become a multifaceted player. Two seasons ago with the Panthers, Pysyk transitioned from defence to forward. He earned the nickname “hybrid” in the locker room that season but moved back to the blueline in Dallas. Wherever he winds up in the lineup, Pysyk battles hard in the corners and plays an extremely responsible game at both ends of the ice.
Buffalo, without a doubt, enters next season as a favourite again for a lottery pick in the 2022 Entry Draft. Getting Mark Pysyk signed doesn’t move the needle much, but adds an experienced presence to the team. He has familiarity in Buffalo, where he entered the league and played out the first four years of his career. He can be leaned on as a leader and veteran more so there than anywhere he’s played previously.
OTTAWA, ON – JANUARY 02: Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk (13) skates with eyes on the play during third period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on January 2, 2020, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
