Sabres re-sign Jokiharju to 1-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed defenseman Henri Jokiharju to a one-year contract worth $3.1 million, the team announced Friday.

Jokiharju, 25, had 20 points (3+17) in 74 games last season. He led the Sabres with a plus-14 rating and ranked fourth on the team with 106 blocked shots.

In the final 26 games beginning on Feb. 23, Jokiharju ranked third among Sabres defensemen in time on ice and tied for second with 41 blocked shots.

“I think I was playing a little bit with more confidence,” Jokiharju said when asked about the late stretch following the season.

Jokiharju has 75 points (16+59) in 309 career games spanning six seasons, including five in Buffalo. He was acquired by the Sabres in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2019.

The right-shot defenseman returns to a D corps that added Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert via free agency and also returns Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson, and Connor Clifton, among others.

The Sabres have three remaining restricted free agents in forwards Beck Malenstyn and Peyton Krebs and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.