Buffalo Sabres Sign Brandon Montour

The arbitration deadline came and went today without Brandon Montour’s name on the list, raising some eyebrows around the league. Not to worry, Montour agreed to a new contract with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the deadline. The new one-year contract will carry a salary of $3.85MM.

A new contract likely won’t stop Montour’s name from being constantly thrown around in trade speculation, especially since a one-year deal takes him directly to unrestricted free agency next offseason. The 26-year-old was acquired in 2019 from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick, but hasn’t been quite what the Sabres expected over his 74 games in Buffalo.

Once seen as a sure-fire future top-four option, Montour’s game has stagnated in Buffalo to a degree as he recorded just 18 points in 54 games this season. Despite his puck-moving pedigree, he saw less time on the powerplay than Rasmus Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen and Colin Miller, instead logging almost all of his 19 minutes a night at even-strength.

As Kevyn Adams takes over as GM in Buffalo and reviews his roster, it will be interesting to see how he views Montour. Is he a core piece that can be part of the solution, or should he be sold off for more futures at this season’s deadline? The Sabres have only two defensemen signed through 2021-22 (Ristolainen and Miller) and could quickly revamp the entire group behind Dahlin and fellow youngster Henri Jokiharju.

If Montour stays the whole year, he’ll certainly have a reason to perform. When he hits unrestricted free agency he’ll be one of the youngest defensemen on the market and could generate a ton of interest, especially if players like Dougie Hamilton come off the list with extensions.

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