After sitting out the first 11 games this season as a healthy scratch, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson quickly earned coach Lindy Ruff’s trust and secured semi-regular duty.
Bryson, 27, offers valuable depth and has proven over his five-year NHL career he can sit out games and return to the lineup ready to contribute.
The Providence College product has impressed the Sabres so much that on Thursday they signed him to a one-year, $900,000 contract extension. He could’ve become an unrestricted free agent following the season.
The 5-foot-9, 177-pound Bryson has compiled zero goals and seven points while averaging 14 minutes, 22 seconds of ice time in 43 games this season.
While he doesn’t compile gaudy numbers, coaches love his ability to break the puck out of his zone.
He has registered four goals and 43 points in 248 career NHL games. The Sabres drafted him in the fourth round in 2017, 99th overall.
The Sabres did not give Bryson a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent last year but re-signed him to a one-year, $900,000 contract.