5 Value Contracts That Set the Buffalo Sabres Up for the Future

It felt to many like the Buffalo Sabres came out of nowhere to become one of the best teams in the NHL. While their history over the prior 15 years supported that feeling, the work being done in the front office was quietly setting the team up for the future.

The Sabres remain one of the best teams in a stacked Atlantic Division, thanks in large part to some of the long-term extensions they signed. They have done well looking toward the future but these deals are what should help the Sabres remain in contention for a long time to come.

Honorable Mention

There are two deals, in particular, that could go one way or the other. Owen Power’s 7-year, $58.45 million extension kicked in to start the 2024-25 season, and it appears he is on the cusp of making it a good value deal. With the rising cost of quality defensemen, Power’s slow ascension into a legitimate top four defenseman is slowly making his $8.35 million average annual value (AAV) look better and better.

The other contract belongs to Josh Norris. The verdict on Norris has been the same for years: “if only he could remain healthy.” Spoiler alert: he has not. Norris is capable of producing at a .75-or-better points per game average, but he needs to stay on the ice. If he can become a reliable top-six center for a full season, his $7.95 million cap hit will look like something of a bargain through its expiration in 2029. If not, it will remain a frustrating but manageable deal until its comes off the books.

Rasmus Dahlin – 8 Years, $88 Million

When he signed it in 2023, Dahlin’s extension was basically received as chunky but necessary. Dahlin will carry the second-largest cap hit in 2026-27, but the landscape will change drastically from there.

Bowen Byram and Cale Makar got huge deals, and as more of the league’s top four defensemen come up for new deals, that $11 million AAV is only going to look sweeter. Dahlin is one of the best players in the league and entering his prime. He should remain a perennial Norris Trophy candidate and the true driving engine for the Sabres.

Tage Thompson – 7 Years, $49.99 Million

When talking about the league’s best value deals, Thompson has to be in the discussion. Paying a three-time 40-goal scorer $7.14 million per season in 2026 feels almost criminal. Yet here we are, Thompson looking ready to hit 40 again and challenge for 50 goals for the first time in his career.

Thompson’s overall value could be contingent on what position he plays. He lined up at winger down the stretch last season and seemed to find a groove. He is a baseline 40-goal, 75-point guy and he’s making nearly $4 million per season less than Pavel Dorofeyev, who hasn’t scored 40 goals or more than 64 points in a single season. Thompson remains one of the premier values in the NHL.

Mattias Samuelsson – 7 Years, $30 Million

Oh, what a difference a season makes. The 2025-26 season saw Samuelsson go from oft injured and much maligned to one of the strongest values in the NHL. Samuelsson finally played a full season while registering a career-high 41 points and playing physical, reliable defense.

Even if he isn’t quite on the same level, his $4.28 million AAV through 2029 makes him one of the most valuable deals on the team by a longshot. If he can even come close to what he did in 2025-26, he will be the league’s best value among defensemen, at the very least.

Zach Benson – 7 Years, $52.5 Million

Virtually everyone felt that Benson’s extension was of good value the moment it was signed. Given his presence as a culture changer, a two-way pest that has a much larger impact than what shows up on the stat sheet, getting him locked up was of the utmost importance.

He’s still just 21 years old and has shown noticeable growth offensively. If he can play 70 games or more and hit the 60-point mark, his deal will become one of the best in the league. His upside is tantalizing and having one of the best young wingers in the league locked up through 2032 for $7.5 million per season is a major win.

Josh Doan – 7 Years, $48.65 Million

Doan is in a similar boat to Benson, though he came in with far less hype. Thought of as the throw-in piece in the J.J. Peterka trade, Doan not only became a valuable addition – he pretty clearly outplayed Peterka and became the best player in the deal.

Doan is similar to Benson in that he is relentless and physical, a 200-foot difference maker. He doesn’t have Benson’s upside but if the baseline is 20-ish goals and 50-ish points combined with his physicality, motor, and defense, $6.95 million per season is more than reasonable.

The Core Is Locked In

The Sabres are built to manage a world with an escalating cap. For all his faults, Kevyn Adams did well on a few deals and Jarmo Kekalainen has continued that trend. Now, the Sabres have a ton of young talent, much of it locked into team-friendly deals.

While Kekalainen needs to find the other pieces needed to create a championship team, he has the foundation in place that should leave the Sabres’ contention window open for the foreseeable future.