Sabres sign Olen Zellweger to three-year extension

One of the newest faces in Western New York is going to be sticking around for years to come.

According to PuckPedia, the Buffalo Sabres announced that the team has signed defenseman Olen Zellweger to a three-year contract extension. The deal, set to begin this coming season, will carry an AAV of $3.1 million through the 2028-29 campaign.

David Pagnotta was the first to report the signing.

Zellweger was a pending restricted free agent, as he was at the end of his three-year, entry-level contract, which he signed with the Anaheim Ducks in August 2021. That deal had an AAV of $871,667. His signing rights were traded to the Sabres last week, in exchange for forward Anton Wahlberg and the No. 45 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Zellweger is one of the most promising young blueliners in the game today. He brings an offensive upside that’s prevalent in most of the top defenders of his class. He’s also used the first three years of his NHL career to further craft the defensive side of his game in an attempt to be a more well-rounded defenseman. He joins a solid young D-corps in Buffalo, which features the likes of Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson and captain Rasmus Dahlin.

The 22-year-old is coming off another exceptional season. In 76 games with the Ducks, he scored seven goals and 15 assists for a career-high 22 points. He also registered a plus/minus of +4 while averaging a hair under 17 minutes of ice time per game. He was part of an Anaheim team that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years, pulling off a rather stunning upset of the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in Round 1. The Quack Attack came short of beating the Vegas Golden Knights, losing the Pacific Division Final in six games. Zellweger played in just three games, scoring a goal and an assist.

In 164 regular-season games in the NHL, Zellweger has potted 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points.