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Buffalo Sabres sign first-round pick

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The Buffalo Sabres have made official the signing of one of their first-round picks. The news was announced Monday afternoon: Konsta Helenius has signed a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal is for three years, but terms of the deal have not yet been released.

Konsta Helenius signed by the Sabres

Helenius was the team’s 14th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas. The 18-year-old is the first member of Buffalo’s draft class to sign an entry-level contract. He had 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 51 games in the Finnish SM-Liiga. The Ylöjärvi, Finland, native played for Jukurit and had the fourth-highest single-season total by an under-18 player in Liiga history. Only Aleksander Barkov, Kaapo Kakko and Mikael Granlund had previously accomplished that feat.

Helenius earned a spot on Finland’s senior team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship thanks to his strong season. He tallied one assist in four games during the tournament while competing against NHL players and other professionals.

The youngster also played at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship for the fourth-place team. Helenius had one goal and one assist in seven games at the tournament in Sweden.

What this means

Buffalo is in the midst of the league’s worst Stanley Cup playoff drought in 13 years. The pressure is on general manager Kevyn Adams to get some meaningful hockey to Western New York for the first time in more than a decade. Helenius may not be part of the plan right now, but he has the potential to be part of the core in the future.

The Sabres certainly have some promising young prospects, but it’s time to win. Many of those young prospects need to take the next step sooner rather than later. Buffalo is hoping Helenius heads to North America and becomes part of the AHL’s Rochester Americans and their strong young club.


Main photo by: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

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