Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - With the NHL Free Agency period opening at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Buffalo Sabres went to work addressing some defensive depth primarily at the American Hockey League level for the Rochester Americans.
General manager Kevyn Adams was able to accomplish that issue Wednesday afternoon with the signing of three defenseman likely bound for the Amerks to start the 2022-23 season. The team announced it has signed left-shot defensemen Kale Clague, as well as right-shot defender Chase Priskie to one-year contracts.
Both Clague and Davies will earn the veteran league minimum of $750,000 with their contracts, while Priskie will earn a touch more this season at $800,000.
Clague has spent a majority of his professional hockey career playing at the AHL level after being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. In 129 career games in the minors, the 24-year-old has amassed 16 goals and 54 assists for 70 points.
In 58 appearances in the NHL, Clague has not produced as well with two goals and 14 assists for 16 points with the Kings and the Montreal Canadiens.
Although standing at just 6-foot and 176 pounds, Clague is regarded as more of an offensive defenseman with his smooth skating skills and puck moving ability from the blue line.
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After being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the seventh round (192nd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Davies' rights were traded in the 2019 offseason to the Nashville Predators as part of the trade that brought defenseman P.K. Subban to Newark.
In his three seasons with the Predators organization, the 25-year-old only appeared in 22 games at the NHL level, registering just three assists, However, in 125 games in the AHL split between the Milwaukee Admirals and Chicago Wolves, Davies had some decent success with 68 points (10+58).
There is not much of a size difference between Davies and Clague on the back end, as the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec native stands at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds.
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Priskie was originally a sixth-round draft pick (177th overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL Draft out of Quinnipiac University. However, he ended up finding his way to the Florida Panthers organization as part of the Vincent Trocheck trade in February of 2020.
This past season saw the native of Pembroke Pines, Florida make his NHL debut with his hometown Panthers, where he would go pointless in four regular season games. In seven playoff games with Florida this year, the 26-year-old ended up putting up one assist and a minus-5 rating.
Priskie also stands in at 6-foot on the roster and 185 pounds. The right-shot defenseman may be able to battle with the likes of Casey Fitzgerald, Jacob Bryson and fellow newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin for a spot on the final defensive pairing, or as a seventh or eighth defenseman on the depth chart in Buffalo.
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