Sabres Sign Kasdorf to Entry Level Deal
The Buffalo Sabres have signed 23-year old goaltender Jason Kasdorf to an entry level deal, the club has announced.
NEWS: The Sabres have signed goaltender Jason Kasdorf to an entry-level contract. Details: https://t.co/8AegwBAT5M pic.twitter.com/1sprNKoVJY
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 14, 2016
Drafted in the sixth round (157th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, Kasdorf was acquired by the Sabres as part of a seven-player deal in February 2015 which saw Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane move to Buffalo with Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers heading to Winnipeg.
The 6’3” goaltender recently completed his senior season at RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), posting a 12-12-5 record with a .931 save percentage, which ranked fourth in the NCAA Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) this season, and a 2.30 goals-against average. He was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week on January 19th 2016.
In 88 NCAA career games for RPI, Kasdorf posted a 38-37-9 record with a .920 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average and was named NCAA (ECAC) Rookie of the Year in 2012/13.
Buffalo received a B- in InGoal Magazine’s recent Future Watch 2016 rankings, with Robin Lehner the stand out in what is largely a group of mid level goaltenders which the Sabres hope will bring success.
22-year old Linus Ullmark did impress earlier this season, posting a .915 save percentage through 19 starts, while Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov have both provided cover when required.
Makarov is set to become a restricted free agent this summer however, and is widely expected to part company with the Sabres. This potentially opens up a spot for Kasdorf moving forward, though Buffalo also has Cal Petersen and Jonas Johansson listed on their goaltending depth chart.
UPDATE: It appears Kasdorf will spend the final weeks of the NHL regular season with the Sabres, according to NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon
Kasdorf says he’ll be in Buffalo the rest of the season and won’t go to Rochester.
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) March 15, 2016
Kasdorf attended Sabres practise on Tuesday, but did not participate.
He missed RPI’s final game of the college season due to a groin strain. Cam Hackett took his place in the RPI net for the 8-2 loss against Harvard. Buffalo expect Kasdorf to be healthy again in around a weeks time.
