Sabres lock up Malenstyn for six more years

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres will have disruptive winger Beck Malenstyn back in the fold for six more years, as he's inked a six-year, $17.5 million contract, thus avoiding unrestricted free agency on July 1.

Two seasons ago, Buffalo had small forwards that got thrown all over the rink, and, then, general manager Kevyn Adams took notice. That's why Buffalo, two years ago exactly, sent a second-round pick to the Washington Capitals to get the aggressive forechecker in Malenstyn. Adams acquired an extra second round pick for moving down in the draft specifically to trade it. He saw a very large need to get bigger.

Some thought it was an over payment for a player who had six goals and 21 points with the Caps, but he used a pick that he planned on trading, and this team desperately needed a player like Malenstyn.

Malenstyn has turned himself into a premiere penalty killer, and one of the best shot blockers in the league. There was one time this season he was hurt from blocking a shot and was crawling to get off the ice, but stopped on the way trying to block another shot while laying on the ice. Malenstyn abuses his body the way he plays.

He doesn't just hit people, he tries to put them through the back wall. He's always creating chaos around the crease, and he's only missed six games in the last three seasons.

"The offseason is really important to get yourself in as good of shape as possible to be able to handle all of that impact," said Malenstyn in an interview all the way back in January.

"We have an incredible training staff that I use a lot for bumps, bruises, tweaks. They definitely take care of me really well, but throughout an 82-game season, there's going to be lots of bumps and lots of bruises. And with the way that I play, It's just a little more exposed to that kind of stuff. So it's just preparation before games, trying to stay warm, trying to stay mobile, loosening things up a little bit and then lots of ice bags and things to get you through."

There are places on the body that are better than others when your jumping in front of pucks that are going 100 mph.

"I try to always go down on one knee, spin sideways. I have extra shot blockers on my skates, you're hoping it hits you in the pants. But every once in awhile, it catches you in a spot where you don't have much padding and you have to live through that," Malenstyn said.

Malenstyn set a career-high with seven goals this season. In 262 NHL games, he has 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points. But any offense you get from him is a bonus. You do need him to chip in, but it's all the other intangibles that makes him an attractive player to have in your lineup every night.

Buffalo was one Game 7 overtime goal from reaching the Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. He said on locker room cleanout day that he's proud of his teammates.

"I think it's how the group came together, how resilient we were, where we were in December to where we finished at the end of the regular season. I think we accomplished a lot of amazing things this season, and we instilled a lot of confidence in our fans and within our ourselves," Malenstyn said in his end-of-season presser.

I felt there was a lot of improvement in Malenstyn's game this season, which gave head coach Lindy Ruff the confidence to put him on the ice to defend the other team's best line.

"I know when I left here last year, a lot of the conversations that I was having with the coaching staff and management was trying to polish up making a few more plays in the offensive zone, being somebody that tries to play that heavy, hard, fast physical game all the time," Malenstyn said. "I was able to take a step in that direction this year, create a little more offense on the ice, but it's going to be a focus for me to continue to work on that aspect of my game, and it's maintaining that same identity that I've had my entire career."

Malenstyn also said that day being in Buffalo was special, and he would like to remain a part of it, so re-signing with the Sabres was a priority for him.

Qualifying offers must be out today by 5 p.m. to Peyton Krebs and Olen Zellweger, as well as Olivier Nadeau, Zac Jones, Nikita Novikov and Isaac Beliveau.

If the Sabres don't qualify any one of them, they become unrestricted free agents.