Rieder signs one-year, $700,000 contract with Sabres

Tobias Rieder said having another chance to play for coach Ralph Krueger was a big reason he signed with the Buffalo Sabres.

The 27-year-old forward signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Sabres on Oct. 9. He had one assist in six games with Team Europe, coached by Krueger, at the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

"We had a great time at the World Cup," Rieder said Wednesday. "He's just such a professional and such a good coach for a team. You can talk to him about anything, and he really supports his players and he's really trying to make them better. As soon as the interest was there, it was kind of a no-brainer."

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Rieder scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 55 games and five points (three goals, two assists) in 10 postseason games for the Calgary Flames last season.

Rieder's three shorthanded goals led the NHL during the postseason, and he's expected to play a role on the Sabres penalty kill, which was 30th in the NHL last season (74.6 percent).

"It's just reading the game, knowing where the puck is going to be on the penalty kill, and then it just comes down to work ethic, and whenever there's a chance I'm trying to use my speed," Rieder said. "I know when I'm a step ahead I can go and create chances. Be aggressive, read the game and then just outwork the other guys on the ice."

Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (No. 114) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Rieder has scored 138 points (59 goals, 79 assists) in 434 regular-season games with the Flames, Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes, and has five points (three goals, two assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games.