Even before he has played his first game for the Buffalo Sabres tonight, Louis Crevier has decided he wants to stick around, signing a four-year contract extension worth $16 million ($4M AAV).
The 6’8″ defenseman had signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 17, 2025, before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in June 2026, and this extension marks a big raise for the hulking player. The Sabres now have five defensemen signed through the end of the 2028-29 season, which is a sign of stability at the position.
Crevier joined the Sabres as part of the return for star defenseman Bowen Byram who went to the Windy City. The 25-year-old dman has featured in 134 career NHL games after getting drafted 188th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has scored 10 goals with 22 assists, and was ranked second in Chicago last season in a couple of key defensive metrics with 95 blocked shots and 124 hits.
Lindy Ruff is happy with what he has seen so far in practice and in the preseason games –
“When I’ve watched him at practice, we’ve had lots of discussions about him. We’ve watched him in the games, he’s moved the puck well and skated well. There was a little concern coming off [shoulder] surgery this summer, but everything looks great. I think this will be a great fit for our hockey club.”
Crevier for his part just wanted to settle his future before the season started –
“I’m really happy. It’s something I’ve worked at for awhile now, and I’m just super glad it’s behind me. Just having stability, I think will help me a ton to play hockey.
“Everyone was really welcoming, and since it happened in the summer, I was free to process more-and-more information, learn names and stuff, even before I came into Buffalo. I think that helped a lot. It was just super easy, honestly.”
About his fellow blue-liners, the dman was very complimentary –
“I think they’re all really good players, so it helps a lot. In Chicago, it was the same even earlier in the year last year. We were playing seven defensemen, so I feel like I’m used to playing with different guys.”
Crevier has been the most successful seventh rounder so far from that 2020 draft with 134 games played, with Ilya Solovyov of the Pittsburgh Penguins behind him at 45 games and a guy who featured in the Rochester local news shoveling his sidewalk (Devon Levi) in third with 39 games played.