Sabres Sign Zach Metsa To One-Year Extension

The Buffalo Sabres have gotten some business done as they return for training camp. According to a team announcement, the Sabres have signed defenseman Zach Metsa to a one-year, $900K extension.

Metsa, 27, joined the Sabres organization late in the 2022-23 season as an undrafted free agent. Respectfully, it’s not a surprise that Metsa went undrafted. He’s an undersized defenseman at 5’9″, 181 lbs, and never showed the offensive ceiling that other undersized blue liners like Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens have.

Still, Buffalo clearly saw something they liked. Metsa spent his collegiate tenure at Quinnipiac University, scoring 19 goals and 74 points with a +72 rating in his final 82 games in the program. Additionally, during his senior season in 2023, Metsa captained the Bobcats to their first National Championship.

Metsa’s first two years in the Sabres organization were exclusively spent with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. He nearly doubled his output in his second season, going from seven goals and 24 points in 54 games in 2023-24 to seven goals and 46 points in 69 games in 2024-25.

That offensive output gave Buffalo the confidence to move Metsa up the organizational depth chart leading into the 2025-26 campaign. Although the Sabres went into the season with Michael Kesselring and Owen Power on the injured reserve, Metsa again began the year with AHL Rochester.

Still, he didn’t have to wait long for his first call-up. Needing more depth, Metsa debuted on October 20th against the Montreal Canadiens. He remained with Buffalo through the end of October and was recalled again in December. He finished his rookie season with two goals and six points in 43 games, a +16 rating, averaging 10:58 of ice time per game.

Instead of beginning the 2026-27 season in the AHL, Metsa will likely be on the Sabres’ opening-night roster barring an unforeseen circumstance. Now, Buffalo has Metsa signed through the 2027-28 season, giving them a capable depth defender who can play on both sides of the blue line.