The Buffalo Sabres have signed free agent forward Vinnie Hinostroza as a depth option for the 2021-22 season. The deal is for one year with a cap hit of $1.05 million. The Sabres announced the deal Wednesday afternoon.
We’ve signed Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year contract worth $1.05 million.
Welcome to the Sabres @Hinostroza12‼️
Details: https://t.co/RIQY7G0N2b pic.twitter.com/DWO2knXxjf
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 28, 2021
Sabres Sign Vinnie Hinostroza
Hinostroza spent the 2020-21 season with his hometown Chicago Blackhawks. The Windy City native scored four goals and 12 points in 17 games while averaging 13:34 per game. He also posted a respectable 50.8 percent Corsi For and 5.3 relative Corsi on one of the league’s worst defensive teams. It’s an otherwise fine effort from a secondary option on a subpar team.
The Blackhawks originally drafted Hinostoza in the sixth round of the 2012 Draft, but traded him to the Arizona Coyotes in 2018. He has also spent a brief period of time with the Florida Panthers, but did not record a point in nine games with the Miami-based franchise. Overall, Hinostroza has 38 goals and 112 points in 272 games. It’s not a great career, but it is much better than many sixth-round picks. He also hasn’t appeared in many games, so there is always a chance he could recapture some of what helped him score 20 ore more points for three straight seasons in the recent past.
What This Means For The Future
The Sabres will not be good in the coming year, but they still need bodies to take the ice. Expect Hinostroza to occupy a spot anywhere outside of the top line. Fans should expect that if the former Blackhawk does well, that he ultimately becomes a trade piece as the 2021-22 trade deadline approaches.
Buffalo still needs to spend a lot of money before the year begins. They still have almost $32 million in cap space and must spend roughly $60 million just to meet the league’s minimum salary commitment threshold. They have acquired several players already, but more will happen in the coming days. They also have lost both of their goalies from last season and need to replace them.
Main Photo: SUNRISE, FL – FEBRUARY 05: Vinnie Hinostroza #13 of the Florida Panthers prepares for a face-off against the Nashville Predators at the BB&T Center on February 5, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
