Sabres re-sign Kale Clague to one-year, two-way contract

A professional veteran is hanging out in western New York for another year.

On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres announced they have re-signed defenseman Kale Clague to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $775,000 for the 2024-25 season.

Clague has spent the last two seasons with the Sabres since signing on with the team in July 2022. He has only been on one-year contracts since joining the organization, having a cap hit of $775,000 this past season.

He has split time with the Sabres and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The 26-year-old played just three games in the NHL this past year, registering an assist on Feb. 23 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Clague registered three goals and 23 points in 42 games with the Americans. In two seasons, he has notched five assists in 36 games with Buffalo, and 29 points in 56 games in Rochester.

Clague was initially selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. The former Brandon Wheat King spent the first three-plus seasons with the Kings’ organization, playing both in Los Angeles and with the Ontario Reign of the AHL. The team placed him on waivers in December of the 2021-22 season, with the Montreal Canadiens picking up Clague, going on to appear in 25 games before season’s end.

Across five seasons, Clague has played in 94 NHL games, scoring two goals and 19 assists. In six seasons of AHL action, the Regina, Saskatchewan native has made 185 appearances, scoring 20 goals and 79 assists, and was named to the AHL All-Star Classic, representing the Pacific Division, in 2020.

With the signing, the Sabres have 28 players under a standard player contract for next season. According to CapFriendly, Buffalo has over $22.7 million in projected cap space for the 2024-25 campaign.