Buffalo Sabers 2024 Player Report Card: Zemgus Girgensons

Girgensons’ likely final season in Buffalo will be a smooth one.

Total season stats: 8-6-14 in 63 games

Age: 30

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Zemgus Girgensons’ time in Buffalo is almost certainly over, as the soon-to-be free agent is expected to test the market later this summer. If that is indeed the case for him with the Sabres, he will go out with a bang, not a bang, because this season has been one of the least productive of his NHL career.

Girgensons played in 63 games, missing some time during the season with lower and upper body injuries. He had eight goals and six assists for 14 points, the lowest point total in any season of his career. He spent most of the season on the back lines for the Sabres, fighting for a spot on the team alongside guys like Eric Robinson. As a result, his average playing time (11:50) is also the lowest of his NHL career.

The only positive point? Three of his eight goals were game-winning goals. Still, it’s not enough, and the Sabers have too many promising young players that they might want to bring into their group instead.
Girgensons has played his entire career (688 games) in Buffalo so far. If that’s the case for him, the longest tenured player in the organization will be Brett Murray, who was drafted by the Sabers in 2016. (Victor Olofsson, drafted in 2014, is also expected to test free agency.)

Overall, it was a disappointing season for Girgensons, but it appears to have been a series of disappointing seasons for him. A change of scenery will likely suit him well and open up a spot for a young player or free agent.

Season level: D