The Sabres announced they’ve signed RFA center Ryan McLeod to a four-year, $20MM contract worth $5MM per season. McLeod carries a five-time no-trade list in 2027-28 and 2028-29, per PuckPedia.
After an impressive first year with the Sabres, Buffalo is making sure McLeod is with the team for the foreseeable future. Before joining the Sabres, McLeod set his highest point total during his final season with the Edmonton Oilers. He scored 12 goals and recorded 30 points in 81 games, finishing with a +10 rating while averaging 14:15 of ice time per game.
There was a reasonable expectation that McLeod would score at a similar pace, if not worse, after moving to a non-contending team from the Western Conference champions. It didn’t take long for McLeod to quiet the doubters.
McLeod finished his first season in Buffalo with 20 goals and 53 points in 79 games, managing a +13 rating and being one of the few bright spots on the roster. Despite being on a team with talented scorers, the former bottom-six mainstay for the Oilers tied for fifth on the team in scoring. He was the team’s most successful center in the faceoff, too, securing a 52.3% win rate.
Those faceoff wins came during important parts of the game, too. McLeod began 54.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone, meaning he could be relied upon to negate an opposing team’s scoring chance most of the time. He still has some kinks to work out in his possession and defensive game, but this contract should age well for the Sabres.
It’s also important to note how much speed McLeod brings to Buffalo’s lineup. According to NHL EDGE stats, McLeod finished in the 87th percentile of 22+ mph bursts, 96th percentile in 20-22 mph bursts, and 99th percentile in 18-20 mph bursts. Although Father Time is known for targeting speed first, McLeod will only be 30 years old by the conclusion of this contract, so Buffalo won’t have to worry about any age-related drop-off for some time.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.