Olen Zellweger has wasted little time getting a feel for Buffalo Sabres camp, and the early signs point to him being in the mix for a major role on the blue line.
After a few practices and Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, Zellweger has spent most of his time skating alongside Owen Power. Lindy Ruff, though, is not locking in that pairing just yet as the Sabres sort through who will step into the spot left open by Bowen Byram.
Following the scrimmage, Zellweger was asked what stood out about playing next to Power. “I think we're both pretty good with the puck, pretty smart.
He's a great skater, great in all three zones, so he makes it easy. He's obviously really good on the off side, but it was fun to play the scrimmage together.”
Zellweger arrived in Buffalo after the Sabres moved Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks, with Jarmo Kekalainen getting the deal done right before the NHL Draft in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. There’s plenty to like in Zellweger’s profile.
The former second-round pick has appeared in 164 games over the last three seasons and topped 20 points in each of the past two. He moves well, and that kind of skating should fit cleanly into Buffalo’s system.
There are questions, too. Zellweger fell out of the Ducks’ lineup in the playoffs and was a healthy scratch at times, so the Sabres are still figuring out exactly what version of him they’ll get.
Ruff made it clear Buffalo has more than one option for Power’s partner. The Sabres already know their top pair will be Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but the second pair is still very much up for grabs, and that decision will shape the third pair as well.
“It’s really who is going to with Owen Power,” Ruff said.“I think you could argue for one or two different guys that can step in there from [Louis] Crevier, [Conor] Timmins, and you can go [Olen] Zellweger, so we have options.”
Timmins or Crevier could certainly fit there with Power, but Zellweger looks like the best-case answer for Buffalo. If he plays to his level, the Sabres may avoid much of a drop-off from last season and wind up with a more balanced group overall.
That would leave Timmins and Crevier as the third pair, with Zach Metsa rotating in when needed. On paper, that would give Buffalo a deeper and more even set of defense pairings than it had a season ago.
Ruff isn’t in any hurry to make it official this early in camp, especially before the first preseason game. Still, the direction is hard to miss: Zellweger appears to have the inside track to open the season next to Power, and if that holds, it would be a strong outcome for the Sabres’ blue line.
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