Exclusive:Peyton Krebs contracts having serious complications as results of this…

The Buffalo Sabres have signed their final restricted free agent, locking in forward Peyton Krebs to a two-year deal. The contract carries an AAV of $1.45 million. With the deal, Krebs will be an RFA at age 25 in 2026.

It is a decent raise for Krebs, who had a cap hit of $863,334 last season and in each of the prior two seasons. Last season, Krebs put up 17 points (4-13) in 80 games. He also had 67 penalty minutes.

Earlier this summer, Krebs came in as #15 on our list of the Sabres’ Top 25 Under 25. He is also a new dad to his daughter, Kimberly, born on August 26

The Sabres report to training camp on Wednesday.

It’s going to be an interesting next few weeks determining which forwards make the roster. Barring a trade to consolidate some of our assets at forward, some solid players will not be in Buffalo to start the season. It’s a nice problem for the Sabres to address.

Given the second year, I think Rousek is the guy fighting for a roster spot now. If Kulich keeps looking fantastic, I think it’s waivers for him.

Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bo Byram came to Buffalo as part of a trade for forward Casey Mittelstadt on Mar. 6, 2024. Byram played 18 games for the Buffalo Sabres this past season and his stats included 29 blocks, 34 hits, 7 takeaways and just 6 giveaways. He also had 3 goals, 6 assists and 9 total points.

Fan reaction to the Byram-Mittelstadt trade was mixed, with some Sabres’ supporters happy with the deal and others not so pleased. The day it happened, Auston Nivison of CBS Sports gave the Avs a B+ and the Sabres a B, stating the Avalanche might have solved their second line center problem but at the same time gave up a good D-man in return. He also added that switching Mitts for Byram was probably the right move for the Blue and Gold and that if Byram found his groove in Buffalo, he’d patrol the blue line with Ramus Dahlin and Owen Power.