Sabres’ 2026 Offseason Is Off to a Great Start

The Sabres then went ahead and traded for defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks. A 22 year old puck moving defenseman who got buried in the Ducks lineup last season. Zellweger is a cheaper version of Byram, who in my opinion has a higher ceiling, especially with a two-way game.

He has had trouble from time to time defensively in his first two seasons in the NHL, however he has a ton of potential and if the Sabres develop him properly, he can be a very good defenseman. They just signed him to a three-year contract worth $3 million a season.

Sabres Drafting Daxon Rudolph Will Pay Off

Sabres general manager (GM) went out and shopped around the fourth overall pick after they acquired it from Chicago. He was close to trading it the day before the draft started as he was deep in talks with the Winnipeg Jets for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Hellebuyck was willing to waive his no movement clause for Buffalo.

However, a deal never got done because Kekalainen felt the Jets were asking for too much. The Jets reportedly wanted Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Jack Quinnm the fourth overall pick and another payer, some believed it to be Zach Benson. With that high ask the Sabres wanted the eighth overall pick from the Jets and to not include Benson, but the Jets said no so the two sides were unable to agree on a deal.

So, the Sabre kept the fourth overall pick and went a little off the board and drafted Rudolph. A lot of people were confused with the pick as Chase Reid, and Keaton Verhoeff were both still available.

However, Rudolph fits the Sabres timeline perfectly and he fits a need being a right-handed defenseman. He’s six-foot-two inches and is a great skater. He recorded 78 points in 68 games played last season, which was third among all defenseman in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

He plans onto playing in college for one season before trying to make the jump to professional hockey. Whether he jumps right to the NHL or has to take a year to develop in the American Hockey League, like prospect Radim Mrtka, we will see.

Sabres Still Have Work to Do

Yes, i do believe the Sabres have had a strong start to the offseason, however they do need to make at least one more strong move. They should go out and make another trade or signing for an extra piece in the top-six, however Kekalainen is in no rush to make a move.

Will the Sabres want to bring in a hometown guy in Patrick Kane? He can add depth to the forward group, can play on the second power play unit and adds veteran leadership to the team. Obviously he is not what he used to be but he still provides some value. Last season he recorded 57 points in 67 games played. Very solid numbers for a 37 year old.

The offseason is far from over, but as it stands right now they’ve made good moves to help stay in the thick of things in a laoded Atlantic Divison. The grade I give them right now is a A-. If the add one more goal scorer, I think we could see the grade be bumped up.