The Buffalo Sabres announced today that forward Zemgus Girgensons has re-signed his qualifying offer of a one-year deal worth $1.6 million. The 25-year-old forward will return to the Sabres for his seventh season with the club (if he’s not traded).
Last season he had his highest career point total since the 2015-16 season with 18 points. He’s been a staple on the Sabres fourth line for a few years now and it was unsure if the former first round pick would return next season. The club was was expected to make changes in their lineup, but after a handful of players appear to be returning after all of the restricted free agents were qualified.
After next season, Girgensons will become an unrestricted free agent and it’ll likely be his last season in Buffalo unless he has an unexpected break out season.
We’ll see how the Sabres handle the remaining restricted free agents with today being the deadline for players like Johan Larsson, Remi Elie, Jake McCabe, Evan Rodrigues, and Linus Ullmark to apply for arbitration.