The Buffalo Sabres signed Zac Dalpe to a one-year contract on Sunday. It’s not yet clear a) how much money is involved or b) if it’s a one-way or two-way deal.
The one or two-way detail could be important because the general feeling is that Dalpe isn’t exactly a shoo-in for a roster spot. The Olean Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe believes that the 24-year-old will fight for a fourth-line forward spot and PHT’s Joe Yerdon describes the competitive situation for depth gigs:
Adding Dalpe to the mix to compete for a bottom-six spot should make camp even more competitive. Already plenty of guys vying for spots.
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) July 13, 2014
Dalpe managed to play 55 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season, but only collected four goals and seven points. Overall, he has 17 points in 95 career NHL games, most of which came with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina selected him 45th overall in the 2008 NHL Draft, so there’s at least some pedigree there.