Buffalo Sabres
· 2026-07-10
The Buffalo Sabres have made a great off-season move by signing defenseman Olen Zellweger to a three-year contract with a $3.1 million AAV.
The Sabres needed to add secondary skating and puck-moving to the back end after trading Bowen Byram and Kesselring.
Olen Zellweger is an excellent budget option to fill that hole.
Zellweger's new cap hit is a very reasonable $3.1 million, making this a good deal for the Sabres.
The young blueliner has plenty of potential and could become a top-four defenseman for the Sabres.
If Zellweger can continue to develop his game, this bridge deal could become a complete steal for Buffalo.
The Sabres are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 50-23 record, on a L1 streak.
Zellweger scored seven goals and set new career highs with 15 assists and 22 points in 76 games with the Ducks last season.
The 2021 second-round pick has shown plenty of promise and it will be interesting to see if he can hit a new level in Buffalo.
And with the salary cap continuing to go up, the Sabres have made a smart move by signing Zellweger to a three-year contract.
But the team will need to wait and see how Zellweger performs in the upcoming season.
So far, the signing of Zellweger has been praised by many, including Harman Dayal, who ranked it as one of the best contracts signed during the 2026 NHL off-season.