Sabres Sign Jason Zucker to 2-Year Contract Extension

This season, he has recorded 44 points in 54 games for the Sabres. Being one of the team’s best forwards and overall players, it made sense to get the extension done. Even though it seems it’s a seller’s market at this year’s trade deadline, Sabres general manager (GM) Kevyn Adams mentioned he did not want to sell off pieces but rather make hockey trades. Over the last 48 hours, he has not only extended Jordan Greenway, but he has also traded Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round pick to the Ottawa Senators for Josh Norris and Bernard-Docker.

Zucker Impact in Buffalo Has Been Felt

I know the Sabres could have missed an opportunity to get a good package for the veteran winger but keeping a player like Zucker in the locker room is a huge win for the team. They’re already the youngest team in the NHL, and if they were to make it any younger, it’d do more harm than good. The Sabres lack some veterans in the room, but keeping a veteran like Zucker shows the team and league that players actually want to stay in Buffalo.

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has also put Zucker everywhere in the lineup, which has helped. He’s played with Tage Thompson on the first line and Peyton Krebs on the fourth line. His versatility has been crucial for this team. His power-play usage has also been great considering the team ranks 27th in the league at a not-so-great 16.9%. With nine goals and 16 points on the power play, he’s been wonderful. In fact, he’s already set a career-high in power-play goals, which was previously seven in back-to-back seasons with the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He has also tied his career-high in power-play points, which he set in 2017-18 with the Wild.

The Sabres current core started to get assembled in 2020 when they began identifying the vital players. All of those players were between 18-25 years old, which is great for a rebuilding team. However, after the 2022023 season, it looked like the core was going to help break the playoff drought. Players like Mattias Samuelsson earned a massive extension as did Cozens and Thompson. But the only problem was the team as a whole did not play much defense. The Sabres lacked solid veterans to help steer the young players in the right direction, which has led to the fall off of some of the younger players on the roster.

If there’s one thing about this deal, it’s that it’s the right price for both sides. Even if some people may think it’s a slight, I do think the Sabres needed to keep Zucker in Buffalo no matter what. Hopefully, the Sabres can keep finding ways to retain certain players on the roster while also adding new players to help eventually break the playoff drought.

Do you guys like the extension for the Sabres? I’d love to hear your thoughts!