MONTREAL – Jarmo Kekäläinen had a vision for what the Buffalo Sabres could be getting when they acquired Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks in June.
Zellweger, still only 22 years old, had established himself as one of the NHL’s fastest defensemen with top speeds eclipsed only by the likes of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. His puck carrying metrics suggested offensive instincts.
Essentially, Zellweger was an ideal candidate to grow into the role formerly occupied by Bowen Byram on Buffalo’s defense corps.
“This is a young player that has a lot of the same qualities (as Byram),” Kekäläinen said at the time of the deal. “Really good skater, speed, puck play, the ability to move up the ice whether to pass or carry the puck out of the zone. We see a lot of potential in him.”
Early on, the returns have been positive. Since making his season debut against Chicago (a concussion had forced him to miss most of training camp and the opener in Columbus), Zellweger has routinely exhibited his offensive instincts either joining the rush or cycling with forwards in the offensive zone.
Even having missed a game, Zellweger ranks second among Sabres defensemen – and tied for 13th among NHL defensemen – with eight even-strength scoring chances, according to Stathletes. It all culminated in his two-goal outing in Montreal, which fueled Buffalo’s comeback to earn a point in a shootout loss.
“(He’s) moving really well, getting to pucks, making a lot of good plays,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after that game. “Really what we envisioned that we thought he could be.”
With Zellweger in the fold, the Sabres’ offense-from-defense identity hasn’t skipped a beat – even with captain Rasmus Dahlin having missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury. The Sabres are tied for the NHL lead in both goals (9, with Edmonton) and points (26, with Colorado) by defensemen.
