MONTREAL – When the Buffalo Sabres traded for Josh Doan almost seven months ago, they acquired an intriguing but unproven young winger who had never played a full NHL season.
Defenseman Michael Kesselring, not Doan, who on Wednesday signed a seven-year, $48.75 million contract extension, was viewed as the centerpiece of the blockbuster deal that sent winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth.
But to complete the trade, former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams insisted on Doan be included.
The affable Doan, 23, has illustrated throughout this season why Adams coveted him, morphing into the Sabres’ biggest surprise.
Entering Thursday’s game against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, he has scored 15 goals and 35 points in 49 contests, offensive totals that rank third and fourth, respectively, on the team.
As his NHL-high 35 takeaways show, he’s an aggressive presence who creates offense by backchecking and hunting pucks.
The Arizona native, whose father Shane, played 20 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes, often skates on the first line and top power-play unit. Off the ice, he has meshed nicely with his new teammates.
The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Doan could’ve become a restricted free agent in the summer. His new deal kicks in next season.
The contract, the first awarded by new GM Jarmo Kekalainen, carries a $6.95 million average annual value.
Doan is in the final season of an entry-level deal that pays him $925,000 this year.
The Arizona State University product has compiled 27 goals, 63 points and 31 penalty minutes in 111 career NHL games.
He broke into the league with the Coyotes in 2023-24, playing 11 games. After they moved to Utah last season, he spend time with the Mammoth and the Tucson Roadrunners, its AHL affiliate.