The Buffalo Sabres have locked in Zach Metsa for another year, signing the defenseman to a one-year contract extension worth $900,000 Friday afternoon.
Metsa’s first season in Buffalo gave the club plenty to like. The 27-year-old appeared in 43 games during the 2025-26 regular season, finishing with two goals, six points and a plus-16 rating while averaging 10:58 of ice time. He also got into two playoff games, scored his first career postseason goal and logged 7:52 per night.
The extension comes after a steady climb for a player who entered pro hockey without being drafted. Metsa has spent his entire professional career in the Sabres organization, first signing his NHL contract with Buffalo in 2025. He is set to make $850,000 in the NHL in 2026-27, the final year of his current two-way deal, before the new one-year, one-way extension begins in 2027-28.
Before turning pro, Metsa built his game the hard way. The Delafield, Wisc., native played junior hockey with four USHL teams and the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials before starting his collegiate career at Quinnipiac in 2018.
Over five seasons with the Bobcats, he went from a little-used freshman to one of the country’s most productive defensemen. In his fifth year, he wore the captain’s letter and helped Quinnipiac win its first and only National Championship in 2023. That season also brought Second Team Eastern All-American honors and a spot on the NCAA’s All-Tournament Team.
Metsa signed with the AHL’s Rochester Americans as a free agent in 2023 and joined them for the Calder Cup Playoffs, where he posted one goal and three points in 13 games. He then spent the next two seasons with Rochester before splitting time between the Americans and the Sabres in 2025-26.
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The wrinkle is that any pursuit would depend on how the Kings handle their season and whether they decide to move rental pieces before the trade deadline if things go sideways. Zuccarello also brings a level of familiarity with Lindy Ruff that could make him more than just another name on a list, which is why this is one of those situations worth watching even if Buffalo is not yet anywhere near a formal move. [Read more 🡒]