Throughout training camp, whenever reporters asked coach Lindy Ruff about defenseman Louis Crevier, one of the Sabres’ offseason additions, he lauded his smart, efficient style.
Crevier, who arrived in Buffalo in the blockbuster trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks, clearly made a strong first impression on Ruff and the Sabres.
This morning, hours before their season opener in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, the Sabres illustrated just how much they think of the newcomer by signing him to a four-year, $16 million contract extension.
The deal will kick in next season. The 6-foot-8, 236-pound Crevier is entering the final season of a two-year, $1.8 million contract.
The right-shot Crevier, 25, spent some of the preseason skating alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power on Buffalo first or second defense pair.
“He’s defended well through the (preseason),” Ruff said of Crevier following Wednesday practice in KeyBank Center. “So I think playing with either one of those guys is a good fit. Even the game the other night, his first puck play was almost always the right play. He got a lot of pucks to the net in the offensive zone. He jumped in a couple times nicely to add some offense.
“But I think first and foremost, you look at his defending. I thought his defending was good.”
Crevier, a seventh-round pick in 2020, 188th overall, has beaten long odds to crack the NHL, let alone stick. He has played 128 NHL games. The rest of the players drafted in the final round that year had combined for 102 big league appearances entering this season.