Sabres re-sign Girgensons to 3-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed forward Zemgus Girgensons to a three-year contract with an annual average value of $2.2 million, the team announced Friday.
Girgensons, 26, tallied 12 goals and 19 points in 69 games last season, both of which represented his highest totals since 2014-15. His 11 even-strength goals tied his career high and ranked fourth on the Sabres.
Girgensons also led Sabres forwards in total shorthanded ice time (147:17) and shorthanded ice time per game (2:08). His 142 defensive-zone starts at 5-on-5 led Sabres forwards, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Coach Ralph Krueger championed Girgensons throughout the season as a dependable presence and an example for others to follow defensively. He was often one of the players entrusted to protect leads in 6-on-5 situations.
"Number one, [Girgensons is] a player who truly executes within the framework of what we need defensively, and he is a threat to score," Krueger said in September.
"… And he always works 100 percent from the start to the end of practice, so that gives him quite a consistent game during the games. You know exactly what you're getting from him shift in and shift out. A very important body in our group."
Girgensons has played seven seasons with the Sabres since being selected in the first round (14th overall) in 2012. His 489 games played rank 32nd in franchise history.