Josh Doan reacted to the burgeoning atmosphere inside KeyBank Center after a win against Anaheim earlier this month, when he helped energize a sellout crowd with a spirited fight and a tenacious backcheck that led to a goal.
“You can feel the energy off every play,” Doan said. “We were told coming here that, when you’re winning, it’s the best place to play, and you’re starting to feel that.”
He can get used to that feeling. The Sabres have signed Doan to a seven-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $6.95 million, the team announced Wednesday. The deal keeps him in Buffalo through the 2032-33 season.
Doan was previously scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the season.
“Josh is a player that impacts the team both on and off the ice,” Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said. “He works hard, is competitive and skilled, and his game is going to continue to develop. We believe he will be a core piece of this team moving forward and I am excited to have him as a Buffalo Sabre long term.”
Buffalo acquired Doan from Utah alongside defenseman Michael Kesselring this past offseason in exchange for forward JJ Peterka. Doan embraced the fresh start and suggested he had more to give offensively after scoring 19 points in 51 NHL games last season. He spent the offseason studying the tendencies of elite net-front scorers, a role he’s since inhabited on the Sabres’ power play.
Tage Thompson, who’d trained with Doan during summers in Arizona and played with him at last year’s IIHF World Championship, also teased the 23-year-old’s upside.
“Obviously I’m biased because I train with him in the summer, but he does have skill and can score,” Thompson said in June. “It’s just not what his role’s been at the NHL level so far. But he’s one of those guys that will go to war for you and do anything to help the team win. That’s what we need. I think both those guys bring that edgy playoff hockey to the regular season, which is going to help us make the playoffs.”
Now midway through the season, Thompson’s words seem prescient. Doan ranks third on the Sabres in goals (15) and fourth in both assists (20) and points (35) – all of which are career highs. His 35 takeaways – a testament to his tenacious checking – lead the entire NHL.
According to Stathletes, the Sabres own 54.9 percent of expected goals with Doan on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, the best mark on the team.
Following the win over Anaheim earlier this month, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff lauded Doan’s effort to strip the puck from an opponent inside the offensive blue line and initiate the sequence that led to a Thompson goal.
“Pure effort,” Ruff said. “… That’s just determination. That’s not quitting on a play. That’s tracking back, getting under his stick. It was just a great play.”
More recently, after the Sabres’ win on 2005-06 Reunion Night, Ruff compared Doan to newly inducted Sabres Hall of Famer Jason Pominville for his combination of skill and work ethic. Doan shares another trait with Pominville: a fan-made sign has appeared on the 300-Level wall in KeyBank Center of late. It reads: "Doan Stop Believin'."
With Doan signed, the Sabres have three players scheduled to hit restricted free agency this summer: Kesselring on defense, plus forwards Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs.
