According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota winger Erik Rasmussen will announce today that he has signed with the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres.
Rasmussen was the first American-born player taken in the 1996 draft, when the Sabres made him the seventh overall pick. His salary of $875,000 per year for three seasons is fixed by the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement; he is expected to receive a $1 million signing bonus.
He turned down a contract offer last year, opting instead to play his sophomore season with Minnesota. However, his production — 15 goals and 12 assists in 34 games — didn’t measure up to the promise of his freshman year, when he scored 48 points.
