Sabres Dealing With Key Injuries On Defense

Just two games into the Buffalo Sabres four-game exhibition slate, the club is facing significant losses to its blueline group. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger were both injured in a preseason matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Tuesday.

Zellweger is in concussion protocol, while Samuelsson is week to week with a lower body injury. The Sabres defensive group is already adjusting to the departure of top-four offensive contributor Bowen Byram.

Samuelsson is a member of Buffalo’s top defensive pair, with team captain Rasmus Dahlin, while Zellweger was slated to slot in on the Sabres second combination with Owen Power. The challenges for the defending Atlantic Division Champion Sabres have already begun, and the puck has not even dropped on the regular season schedule.

“You’ve gotta approach this as next man up, “ said Sabres Head coach Lindy Ruff. “I think we’ve got some depth on defense that short-term can help us out. It’s another man’s opportunity. “

Expectations will be high for a Buffalo group that is looking to make a second consecutive postseason appearance next spring. It will be a tall task for the Sabres to follow up on what they accomplished in 2025-26. The Atlantic Division will be even stronger as Florida and Toronto should both return to form, and the fight for points and positioning will be intense.

Already facing the loss of top winger Alex Tuch as well as Byram from last season’s surprising squad, the Sabres will have to look to organizational depth to step up, especially in light of the injuries they are already facing.

“If you wanna be a good team, you have to deal with some adversity, and maybe we’re going to have to deal with a little adversity right off the bat, “ continued Ruff. “It’s an opportunity for someone to step up and give us some good minutes and get a little bit of added time that they wouldn’t get normally.”