Buffalo Sabres sign Vsevolod Komarov to three-year, entry-level contract

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams announced that the club had signed defenseman Vsevolod Komarov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

We have signed Vsevolod Komarov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Defifth round (No. tails: https://t.co/W1tGKqdUJU pic.twitter.com/R8PYOLE4eA

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) May 25, 2023

Komarov is a fifth-round (No. 134) pick by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft. He spent the 2022-23 season with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he registered 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists)and 60 penalty minutes in 62 games. He tallied an additional eight points in 18 playoff games as the Remparts defeated the Halifax Mooseheads and captured the Gilies-Courteau Trophy, and advanced to the KIA Memorial Cup in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Komarov was selected 31st overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft by the Remparts. After a couple of seasons in Russia playing for Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in the MHL, he made the leap to North America to further work on his development. In his first season in the QMJHL, he tallied two goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 60 games.

When I spoke to Komarov at Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C following the Remparts afternoon practice, Komarov talked about how gracious he was to be able to sign an NHL deal. “Oh, like before, it was a dream; now it’s reality. I am so happy; my family is so happy,” said Komarov. “it is such a big step for me, and for me to come over from Russia was a big step. I’ve been thinking about it the last couple of months about how I was deciding on going CHL or not, but I knew I would be able to make a step here; at first, it was hard, but now I am so happy with everything.”

“When we saw him at rookie camp and development camp, we sort of thought that he was primarily a defender,” Sabres Director of player development Adam Mair said. “Which he is, and he’s an excellent one. He’s big; he’s long; he’s competitive and strong in front of the net. But he’s started to add some offense to his game in Quebec. They have a good team, and he’s a big part of what they’re creating. He’s been put on the power play. He’s taken a big step this year in terms of his puck play and his offensive contributions.”