Sabres renew Jokiharju’s one-year, $3.1 million contract

Jokiharju was a restricted free agent and the deal allowed him to avoid salary arbitration. The NHL Players’ Association announced later Friday that goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and newly acquired forward Beck Malenstyn have elected to seek arbitration. Both are also restricted free agents. Center Peyton Krebs has not elected arbitration.

Jokiharju, 25, had three goals and 17 assists in 74 games with the Sabres last season. His 20 points were a career high, as was his plus-14 rating last season, which gave him the team’s leading scorer.

Jokiharju’s contract status has led many observers to wonder if the Sabres will trade him this offseason, but he has great value to the Sabres as a right-shot defenseman on a team loaded with lefties.

At locker cleanout day in April, Jokiharju said he understood he could be traded, but he had been a reliable part of Buffalo’s back end since being acquired from Chicago for Alex Nylander in 2019 and hoped to stay.

“I’ll be more than happy to continue playing here,” Jokiharju said. “I think that’s how I see it, but it’s a business issue, so we’ll see what happens.”

The trade call saw the Sabres give Jokiharju a raise over the $2.5 million salary cap hit he’s been carrying over the past three seasons. It was a result of the three-year, $7.5 million contract he signed with the club on Sept. 2, 2021.