Buffalo Sabres defenseman Olen Zellweger is making an impact with the club just seven games into his first season. The 23-year-old blueliner is hitting his stride in Buffalo, after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in June.
With top-four veteran Bowen Byram moved to the Chicago Blackhawks last summer, Zellweger arrived in Buffalo with an opportunity to step into a prominent role with the Sabres. The club is currently in the midst of a road trip and already facing adversity in the early stages of the 2026-2027 National Hockey League schedule.
Buffalo is without the services of defenseman and team captain Rasmus Dahlin, who is dealing with an upper body ailment.
It’s a tall task for the Sabres to secure points without their best player, and the team is looking to the rest of the group to bring their best. Zellweger delivered two goals on Tuesday night in Montreal, helping his new team gain a valuable shootout point against an Atlantic Division rival.
The young blueliner’s contribution is in evidence not just on the score sheet, but also in his ability to log critical minutes. He finished Tuesday’s contest with a time on ice of twenty-five minutes and forty-nine seconds, trailing only fellow rearguards Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power.
Sabres Dealing With Defensive Injuries
With the Sabres defensive group also missing Conor Timmins due to a lower body injury, the importance of Zellweger hitting the ground running is a huge plus for a club looking to stay in a tight race in the best division in hockey.
“I really think his game is coming, “ said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. “These last three, four games. Moving really well. Getting to pucks, making a lot of good plays. Really what we envisioned that we thought he could be, “
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