“Henri is a young, mobile defenseman who has shown he can compete at the NHL level,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said in a team statement. “His international success last season only furthered his development and we are excited to add him to our current group of defensemen.”
The native of Oulu, Finland has alsp played in plenty of international action, taking part in the IIHF World Junior Championship in both 2018 and 2019. This past year, Jokiharju won the gold medal with Finland as they beat the United States in Vancouver, British Columbia. In addition, Jokiharju won the gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Championship this past May in Slovakia.
Buffalo parted ways with their former first round pick (eighth overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, who has often been part of criticism by fans for a lack of development. Nylander has played in just 19 games in the NHL over three years for the Sabres, tallying three goals and three assists. The 21-year-old winger often was plagued by injury, but has failed to produce consistently, even in the AHL with the Rochester Americans.