Lawrence Pilut is returning to Buffalo.
After waiting weeks for his contract to be officially terminated by his club in Russia, the 26-year-old, left-shot defenseman rejoined the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year deal that will pay him $750,000 in the NHL.
The two-way contract will allow the Sabres to assign Pilut to the Rochester Americans without waivers if he doesn't make the NHL roster. He is an important depth addition for the organization and most likely will be a top defenseman for the Amerks at the start of the season.
Rochester's blue line received a significant makeover at the start of free agency Wednesday with the Sabres signing Kale Clague, Jeremy Davies and Chase Priskie.
Pilut played with Buffalo from 2018-20 after joining the club following a season in which he was named the Swedish Hockey League's top defenseman. He appeared in 46 games with the Sabres during that span, totaling one goal and six points while averaging 17:05 of ice time.
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During a phone interview with The Buffalo News on Thursday, Pilut expressed excitement for his “new adventure” in Russia and said he thought the move was best for his on-ice development.
On the cusp of restricted free agency in 2020, Pilut's agent requested a one-way contract for Pilut to ensure financial and job security. The Sabres declined until it was too late. Pilut signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.
In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pilut saw the KHL as a valuable development opportunity. He had a strong debut season in Russia, totaling seven goals and 28 points in 57 regular-season games. His play dropped off a bit in 2021-22, and he sought a return to the Sabres.
An American Hockey League All-Star for 2018-19, Pilut showed flashes of potential when playing for former Amerks coach Chris Taylor and while in the NHL lineup under Phil Housley. However, Pilut, like many others, struggled to carve out a role when Ralph Krueger became coach in Buffalo. And Pilut didn't perform as well for the Amerks in 2019-20.
The Sabres' defense in training camp will include Pilut, Clague, Davies, Priskie, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Henri Jokiharju, Ilya Lyubushkin, Jacob Bryson, Casey Fitzgerald and Oskari Laaksonen.
Pen to paper
Kevyn Adams didn't take long to get the Buffalo Sabres' trio of first-round draft picks under contract.
Centers Matt Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich signed three-year, entry-level deals following development camp practices Friday in LECOM Harborcenter. Ostlund and Kulich have impressed the Sabres' staff with their play on the ice this week, but Savoie hasn't skated while completing his recovery from a shoulder injury.
