The first signing of the 2020 free agency period for the Buffalo Sabres is forward Tobias Rieder.
The team announced on Friday that it has signed the free agent forward to a one-year deal worth the league-minimum of $700,000. The news of the signing was first reported by John Matisz from TheScore.com.
The 27-year-old just came off a season with the Calgary Flames where he scored four goals and registered six assists for 10 points in 55 games. In 10 playoff games with the Flames, Rieder was a solid depth piece for Calgary's run in the Edmonton bubble, scoring three goals and picking up two assists.
The German-born forward has played six seasons in the NHL with the Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes. In 434 career games over that span, Rieder has scored 59 goals and amassed 79 assists for 138 points.
Rieder's best season in the NHL came in his second season with the Coyotes in 2015-16, where he scored 14 goals and added 23 assists for 37 points in all 82 games played. In parts of four seasons in Arizona, Rieder performed his best with 111 points (51+60) in 292 games.
While Rieder may not be the most offensively gifted player, especially in the past three seasons, he excels on the penalty kill, where the Sabres struggled mightily last season with the second-worst penalty kill rate (74.6%) in the league ahead of just the Detroit Red Wings (74.3%). In the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, all three of his goals for Calgary actually came on the penalty kill.
Although Rieder is listed as a winger and center, he has primarily played on the wing. However, he is a flexible option for the Sabres and head coach Ralph Krueger with the ability to play on either wing.
Now counting Rieder, Buffalo currently has eight forwards under contract at the NHL level for the 2020-21 season. Others like Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt are all restricted free agents.