The Buffalo Sabres added depth in free agency this afternoon, signing two goalies – old friend Dustin Tokarski and Devin Cooley – and forward Justin Richards to one-year contracts.
All the players inked two-way deals worth $775,000 in the NHL.
Tokarski, 33, played 42 games for the Sabres over two seasons before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year.
Right now, the Sabres have goalies Eric Comrie, Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen under one-way contracts, meaning Tokarski likely ranks fourth on the depth.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Tokarski could serve as the Rochester Americans’ starter in the upcoming season. He’s a decorated AHL goalie, having won two Calder Cups in 12 seasons.
Malcolm Subban, the Amerks’ No. 1 goalie last year, signed with the St. Louis Blues.
Cooley, 26, spent all of last season with the Milwaukee Admirals, the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate, registering a 15-8-2 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 26 games.
The 6-foot-5, 192-pound California native has spent his entire pro career in the AHL and ECHL. He played three seasons at Denver.
Richards, 23, spent most of last season with the Cleveland Monsters, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, recording 10 goals, 39 points and 54 penalty minutes in 61 games. He played two games for Columbus, registering an assist.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Florida native has compiled 20 goals, 64 points and 57 penalty minutes in 148 career AHL games.
Richards, who also played one game for the New York Rangers, won two national championships at Minnesota-Duluth.
Tokarski, of course, is the most familiar of those names.
He spent all of 2021-22 with the Sabres as a backup, compiling a 10-12-5 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in 29 games in his first full NHL season.
In 2020-21, the veteran earned his first big league action in more than four years, playing 13 games for the Sabres. He also had two appearances with Rochester.
Tokarski spent most of last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, compiling a 12-16-7 mark with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 36 games. He also played four games for the Penguins.
He has compiled a 23-34-12 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and a. 902 save percentage in 80 career NHL games.
