The Sabres have just re-signed a defenseman to a one-year contract. The defenseman has quietly contributed on the ice for nearly five full seasons, with his most impressive statistical season coming in 2021-22 when he registered 73 blocked shots, 55 hits, and 24 takeaways, along with 1 goal and 9 assists in 73 games.
Despite his steady play, he has often been overshadowed by his fellow Sabres defensemen, such as Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, and Owen Power. Typically, Bryson is utilized on Buffalo’s third defensive pairing or sometimes the second, which makes it somewhat unexpected that the team decided to re-sign him while letting Henri Jokiharju go. In fact, the Sabres might have been able to extract similar value in a trade for Bryson, but general manager Kevyn Adams’ recent decisions have left the organization with limited cap space.
Still, bringing back the 27-year-old for another season isn’t necessarily a poor decision from Adams’ perspective. Although Bryson has not made any highlight-reel plays, he has also managed to avoid game-changing mistakes, which is a valuable trait on a struggling Sabres team. Not being as offensively driven as Dahlin, Bryson typically nets around one goal per season; in fact, he hasn’t yet scored this year as the season progresses toward April. On March 1, however, he did record one of his seven assists in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, helping set up Alex Tuch to tie the game in the second period.
Head coach Lindy Ruff praised Jacob Bryson’s performance in that game, commenting that it was “the most involved” he’d seen him and adding that “there’s no reason he can’t be involved offensively.”
Despite occasional flashes of potential, Bryson has spent five years in Buffalo without making a significant impact. Re-signing him for another year appears to be a typical decision by Kevyn Adams—a move made by someone who doesn’t seem to feel the urgency needed to ignite a playoff push.
It remains possible that Bryson might step up his contributions in the upcoming season. However, it is more likely that the 2025-26 campaign will mark his final year in Buffalo, at which point he may either be included in a trade or sign with a UFL team, where he probably won’t receive much in the way of offers.
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