BUFFALO – Just 71 total NHL games were enough to convince the Sabres that center Noah Ostlund deserved a lucrative long-term contract.
The Sabres on Monday signed the Swede to an eight-year, $52.8 million contract. That’s a $6.6 million average annual value for the 22-year-old, the 16th overall pick in 2022.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement that kicks in Wednesday, the day training camps open, teams can only sign their own players to a maximum of seven years.
Ostlund has one year remaining on his entry-level contract. His new deal kicks in the 2027-28 season.
With the salary cap up to $104 million this season, teams have been signing young, talented and often unproven players to contracts worth tens of millions of dollars.
After beginning last season with the Rochester Americans, Ostlund’s smarts and mature two-way game that belied in rookie status quickly helped him earn coach Lindy Ruff trust.
In 60 games, he registered 11 goals, 27 points and a plus-11 rating as he battled injuries. He also played three times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He went pointless in his first eight games at the end of the 2024-25 season.