Sabres sign Peyton Krebs to a 4-year, $18M contract, trade Tyler Kopff and hire John Davidson

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres made a series of moves involving its forward corps Monday, signing Peyton Krebs to a four-year, $18 million contract and dealing Tyler Kopff to the Washington Capitals for fellow prospect Zac Funk.

The 25-year-old Krebs, who had been eligible for arbitration, set career highs with 12 goals and 27 assists last season. The former first-round pick by Vegas in the 2019 draft was acquired by Buffalo in the deal that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas. He has 42 goals and 91 assists with Buffalo and Vegas.

The Sabres also announced the hiring of veteran NHL executive John Davidson as senior adviser.

Davidson, 73, spent 18 seasons as president of hockey operations for St. Louis, Columbus and the New York Rangers. He is now reunited with Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen, whom he hired as GM in Columbus.

Following an NHL-record 14 seasons of futility, Buffalo clinched a playoff berth last season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals where the Sabres lost to Montreal in seven games. The drought was among the four North American major sports’ longest active streaks, ranking second behind the NFL’s New York Jets, who last qualified in 2010.

“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and look forward to the opportunity to help the organization in any way I can,” Davidson said. “The momentum in Buffalo is palpable throughout the entire league and the passion from Sabres fans makes this opportunity all the more exciting.”

Funk, 22, has two goals and four assists in 25 career AHL games with the Hershey Bears and 28 points in 34 career ECHL games with the South Carolina Stingrays. Kopff, 23, split last season in the same two leagues.

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