Steve Montador (Contributed/NHL)

Former Erie Otters defenseman Steve Montador, 29, has signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL club announced today. The deal is worth $3.1 million, according to the Otters’ Web site.

Montador finished the 2008-09 season with Boston after starting the year in Anaheim. Montador (6-feet, 210 pounds) signed the same day he officially became a free agent.

He had 21 points, 143 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 78 regular-season games this past season. He had three points and 18 penalty minutes in 11 Stanley Cup playoff games with the Bruins.

Montador, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia who spent two seasons with the Otters from 1997-99, has played in 368 NHL games with Boston, Anaheim, Florida and Calgary in an eight-year NHL career.

– Victor Fernandes