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The Buffalo Sabres Sign Free Agent Bottom-Six Player

The Buffalo Sabres are taking a break from summer vacation today and have some news to announce. In a minor deal, they have signed forward Beck Malenstyn to a two-year contract. The native of British Columbia has parlayed a successful, first full NHL season into the deal with an average annual value of $1.35 million.

Beck Malenstyn Parlays Strong First Full NHL Season to Contract

Beck Malenstyn has had a difficult career progression to this point. The 26-year-old has played five full professional seasons to this point. However, he was shutdown for the entirety of the wonky 2020-21 schedule due to an achilles injury.

Over the next two seasons, he did spend some time with the Washington Capitals, appearing in 21 games. In contrast, he spent most of his time developing in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. Perhaps thankfully, as he was a regular contributor to the club on route to their 2023 Calder Cup title. His numbers don’t jump off the page. Through his four seasons with Hershey all told, in 225 games he had 30 goals and 27 assists. This did, however, allow him to earn a full-time spot with the Caps for this past season, 2023-24. And what’s more, in 81 games, he had a regular shift at 14:15 a night. He plays the game hard, as evidenced by his 241 hits on the year. Furthermore, he killed penalties regularly and chipped in with 21 points.

What Will It Mean for the Sabres

Even though it might be a bit of an example of the Buffalo Sabres taking a flyer, for an organization in their position, it is definitely one worth taking. If Malenstyn’s 2023-24 season was any indication, and he continues to improve, he would be a great addition to any teams bottom-six, not just the Sabres. The advantage for the Sabres, is they have plenty of cap space. Therefore, even though it may seem like a player friendly-type deal, if Malenstyn can bring the grit they club hopes, it is win-win.

Main photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Levi Pike

Levi Pike

Levi Pike is an editor and writer here at Last Word on Hockey. He has lived all over Canada but grew up in Nanaimo, BC. Currently, he lives with his loving wife, two kids, and dog in the capital of the Easterly most province of Canada, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s passionate about hockey, in particular, the Ottawa Senators and statistics. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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