Confirmed Signing with Link: [BUF] F Beck Malenstyn re-signs with the Sabres (2 years, $1.35M AAV)

[MS]

Steal of a deal. He's a Vancouver guy I was hoping would get to UFA and would have had zero issues with a $2 million contract. Absolutely terrific bottom-6 player.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

It's nominal term for nominal money. Good fourth liners are easy to love if they aren't wildly overpaid. He's a low event player but that's not a bad thing when the alternatives are high event guys that spend so much time in the defensive zone.

 

[johnnybbadd]

These excuses have been used for two years running and ignore the reality of one-year deals. They happen all summer, last summer, and this summer. I don't really view Malenstyn as much of anything. His possession stats are not great, but his defensive starts are bonkers. It doesn't excite me, it doesn't upset. Paying a 43rd seems a tad high but picks are way overrated.

I know I get it that it has taken way too long but they have to trust their drafting and development. We all know how it turned out when they tried to rush their rebuild by acquiring Kane, Bogosian, O’Reilly and Lehner to surround Eichel and Reinhart. All talented players but it just didn’t mesh together. These young guys have been playing in Rochester or earning their spot on the big team. That is what you want to see. If they see it through they will be better than Toronto and Tampa as soon as next year. They won’t just be a playoff team but a contender.

 

[toddkaz]

A guy making 1.35 million is worth a 2nd round pick? Smh

 

[BKarchitect]

A guy making 1.35 million is worth a 2nd round pick? Smh

I mean would it make you feel better if the Sabres paid him $5 million dollars?

If anything, coming in under $1.75-2 million is added value. Not sure why anybody would downgrade the trade because he signed a bargain deal…

People are either way overrating what a typical 2nd round pick becomes or underrating Malenstyn. That second round pick probably isn’t helping you for 3-4 years anyways even if it does come good. I mean, seems like a great idea just having the Sabres waste another year hoarding prospects and picks while their team depth and lack of intelligent, fast and physical role players submarines another season.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I know I get it that it has taken way too long but they have to trust their drafting and development. We all know how it turned out when they tried to rush their rebuild by acquiring Kane, Bogosian, O’Reilly and Lehner to surround Eichel and Reinhart. All talented players but it just didn’t mesh together. These young guys have been playing in Rochester or earning their spot on the big team. That is what you want to see. If they see it through they will be better than Toronto and Tampa as soon as next year. They won’t just be a playoff team but a contender.

They had one coach who didn't coddle them, Byslma. Remember the game Reinhart sat on the bench and didn't play one minute. They ran Danny boy out of town. It's an amateur organization. After 13 years of no playoffs, they have a solid farm system. I don't know how you couldn't. But it's the talk of the league. Pegula feels like the common dominator.

A guy making 1.35 million is worth a 2nd round pick? Smh

In Buffalo, yes

Steal of a deal. He's a Vancouver guy I was hoping would get to UFA and would have had zero issues with a $2 million contract. Absolutely terrific bottom-6 player.

$2 M for a fourth liner. Talk like that well have you on the fast track from running Harbor Center to being GM

 

[MS]

$2 M for a fourth liner. Talk like that well have you on the fast track from running Harbor Center to being GM

He played 14-15 minutes/game for Washington. Dowd and Malenstyn were the 3rd line for the Capitals and Hendrix Lapierre was the 4C even though fans label it differently because Lapierre had more points.

He's a really effective player who popped as one of that team's most effective skaters pretty much every time I watched Washington last year.

 

[BKarchitect]

I feel like some Sabres fans have PTSD when you say “4th liner” because in their minds, 4th liners have been $2 million AAV useless softies like Jost or the corpse of Okposo or <insert random Rochester call-up>.

I think the concept of bottom six guys who pop with speed, physicality and tenacity and actually do stuff out there and thus are actually worth investing in is somewhat unnatural at this point. So much so that an actual useful, good player who is making a third less AAV than Jost and Okposo were last year is being framed as an over-investment or frivolous use of cap space.

 

[5 Minute Major]

A guy making 1.35 million is worth a 2nd round pick? Smh

Yeah, I wish we drafted someone with that pick that may have made the team in 4 or 5 years or….not make the team.

 

[BKarchitect]

Yeah, I wish we drafted someone with that pick that may have made the team in 4 or 5 years or….not make the team.

Yeah but then you wouldn’t have to spend anything on them. Win…?

 

[Drake1588]

This is a very good defensive fourth liner and energy line player. At the NHL minimum, or near enough, he was fantastic. On his new deal, I'd hope to promote him into a third line role and/or see him produce more offensively to love the contract.

With that said, it's an area of real need for the Sabres, and he will provide plenty of character and grit and quality defensive forward minutes for a team that needs what he brings. It's maybe an overpay, but Buffalo will be happy with him.

I'm also probably going to have to get used to the idea that this is the going rate for a veteran fourth liner now, following these two summers of salary inflation. They're buying one year that comes after the second consecutive cap bump. This contract seems a little high now; it will age gracefully though.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Amazing how few times local Buffalo fail to get the story first. Nothing deal. Moves needle not at all

Malenstyn is awesome at his role and is pretty much guaranteed to become a fan favorite. A player anyone would love to have on their team.

 

[Nucker101]

I don't understand this sentiment. He brings physicality and performed well in absurd defensive deployments last year, and was effective in Hershey in prior years. He is exactly the type of player that the Sabres need.

You can argue about other moves (or lack thereof), but Adams acquired a brand new 4th line in Malenstyn, NAK, and Lafferty. I will take that every day over the weird cast of misfits and washed vets that Buffalo has employed in the bottom 6 for many years.

It's because of his jfresh card. The people who live and die by jfresh/xgf% just don't understand how a player with Malenstyn's deployment will never get a fair shake through those lenses

 

[toddkaz]

Yeah, I wish we drafted someone with that pick that may have made the team in 4 or 5 years or….not make the team.

Or just hear me out. Use the pick to trade for someone who will actually make an impact.

Do you think its either make the pick or draft Malenstyn? Thats it? Thats the only options out there? smh

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Getting Hutson for Beck was a steal. Im still in awe the Caps pulled that off.

 

[Djp]

After the Malenstyn contract, we're at $14.5M under. Add in UPL and Krebs and then another ~$800k for either an 8th Dman or 14th forward and we'll be somewhere around $8M left in cap space to start the year.

Buffalo Sabres Salary Cap, Cap Hit, Buffalo Sabres Contracts | Puckpedia

puckpedia.com

They have them with 13M left with 13/7/3 roster. If you think $6M for RFAs then they might have about $7M in space.

 

[Djp]

I know I get it that it has taken way too long but they have to trust their drafting and development. We all know how it turned out when they tried to rush their rebuild by acquiring Kane, Bogosian, O’Reilly and Lehner to surround Eichel and Reinhart. All talented players but it just didn’t mesh together. These young guys have been playing in Rochester or earning their spot on the big team. That is what you want to see. If they see it through they will be better than Toronto and Tampa as soon as next year. They won’t just be a playoff team but a contender.

Therr was also other issues..

If you are rebuilding you have 3 draft periods

2021-2024 core rebuild
2017-2020 younger players, some you trade
2013-2016. These are vets you trade to rrbuild

For eichel reinhart time it was
2012'2015 core rebuild
2008-2011
2004-2007

In Eichel buffalo had vets from pre 2005 they traded for futures ( Miller, vanek. Pominville, etc)
2004'2007 was a crappy draft period. They had found some talent in the 3rd and later period.
In 2008-2011 drafts, what was drafted got traded away in the rebuild.


If you compare that with this time

They traded Eichel Reinhart. Ristolainen for futures
In 2017-2020 they had been more successful in drafting in getting more talented vnn plsyers that can be used for trades

2008-2011 draft buff as lo picked Ennis, myers, kassian, mcnabb, foligno, armis, pysyk. All these got traded by 17/18 season iirc .thry had nothing to left other than what they traded them for

In the comparable drsfy period of 2017-20 buffalo drafted Mittletadt, bryson, UPL, Dahlin, samuelsson. Cozens. Ryan Johnson, portillo, hughlrn, quinn, peterka. They flipped Mitts for Nyram who is in the dsmr period
They acquired Krebs and Kokihsrju in this period

You can clearly see they have more roster plsyerd from that period of those who would be 22-25 at start of 24/25 than they did in 2014/2016 season

In 2012-2015 they didnt produce much from these drafts even though thry had a bunch of picks.

Besides Eichel. Reinhart, and ristolainen...2012'2015 produced: girgensons, grigorenko*, zadorov* , compher*, mccabe*, ullmark*, peterson*, lemueux^, olofsson", borgen*


They wait and see I'd what comes from the 21-24 ,drafts

 

[tsujimoto74]

Or just hear me out. Use the pick to trade for someone who will actually make an impact.

Do you think its either make the pick or draft Malenstyn? Thats it? Thats the only options out there? smh

The Sabres revamped bottom 6 will absolutely make an impact for the team. One of the team's most persistent problems of the last decade has been that its "role players" have mostly just been guys who are misfits in virtually any NHL role. Malenstyn is going to be our new Larsson but faster and more physical. He's a guy you can bury in tough defensive assignments, and he'll do well with them, freeing up more easy minutes for the guys you want to put in scoring positions.

 

[Zman5778]

This is a very good defensive fourth liner and energy line player. At the NHL minimum, or near enough, he was fantastic. On his new deal, I'd hope to promote him into a third line role and/or see him produce more offensively to love the contract.

$1.35M would be a STEAL of a deal for a 3rd liner. $1.35M is exactly in line with a 4th liner of his caliber, if not even a bit cheap for a player like Malenstyn.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Malenstyn is awesome at his role and is pretty much guaranteed to become a fan favorite. A player anyone would love to have on their team.

If the season is predicated on this guy, we have issues.

$1.35M would be a STEAL of a deal for a 3rd liner. $1.35M is exactly in line with a 4th liner of his caliber, if not even a bit cheap for a player like Malenstyn.

Exactly, on the nice end of what you pay. Not $2 M for Jost. Was it worth a 43rd? I will let others debate that. He's fine as a 4th at that price. He is not the issue with the roster as constructed today.

 

[toddkaz]

The Sabres revamped bottom 6 will absolutely make an impact for the team. One of the team's most persistent problems of the last decade has been that its "role players" have mostly just been guys who are misfits in virtually any NHL role. Malenstyn is going to be our new Larsson but faster and more physical. He's a guy you can bury in tough defensive assignments, and he'll do well with them, freeing up

more easy minutes for the guys you want to put in scoring positions.

I thought we were talking about Malenstyn now you want to talk about the bottom 6. This is the Malenstyn thread not the sabres bottom 6 thread. Thats a different topic.

 

[Daz28]

I mean would it make you feel better if the Sabres paid him $5 million dollars?

If anything, coming in under $1.75-2 million is added value. Not sure why anybody would downgrade the trade because he signed a bargain deal…

People are either way overrating what a typical 2nd round pick becomes or underrating Malenstyn. That second round pick probably isn’t helping you for 3-4 years anyways even if it does come good. I mean, seems like a great idea just having the Sabres waste another year hoarding prospects and picks while their team depth and lack of intelligent, fast and physical role players submarines another season.

Apparently, they feel KA should have overpaid on the contract, too. Maybe we should give McLeod 8x$6M asap so we make sure we don't make this same mistake again.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

I thought we were talking about Malenstyn now you want to talk about the bottom 6. This is the Malenstyn thread not the sabres bottom 6 thread. Thats a different topic.

Bruh what

 

[jamienwalker]

I'm extremely happy with this trade, and signing; It's the exact type of player(s) we need NOW. If I remember correctly, Lindy Ruff was the coach of our Presidents trophy winning team, when Miller got run by that piece of shit Lucic. We have never recovered from that incident, hence the 13 year drought (in my opinion). I think Lindy has learned a few things since then, and has helped picking the recent signings.... hopefully these signings, (Lafferty, Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn, Zucker), along with the couple of others that are hitters, like Clifton, Tuch,, Byram, Cozens, and Dahlin, will spread to our other big guys.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm extremely happy with this trade, and signing; It's the exact type of player(s) we need NOW. If I remember correctly, Lindy Ruff was the coach of our Presidents trophy winning team, when Miller got run by that piece of shit Lucic. We have never recovered from that incident, hence the 13 year drought (in my opinion). I think Lindy has learned a few things since then, and has helped picking the recent signings.... hopefully these signings, (Lafferty, Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn, Zucker), along with the couple of others that are hitters, like Clifton, Tuch,, Byram, Cozens, and Dahlin, will spread to our other big guys.

Lucic-Miller was in 2011. The Sabres had a President's Trophy in 2007.