The Buffalo Sabres have added a familiar kind of insurance on the back end, signing veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year deal worth the league-minimum $850K.
The move comes at a time when Buffalo’s left side has taken a hit. On Wednesday, the team announced Mattias Samuelsson will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and Olen Zellweger will also miss time after entering concussion protocol. That leaves the Sabres looking for immediate help, and Grzelcyk gives them another body who can step in without forcing the club to lean too hard on its existing depth.
Grzelcyk, 32, brings nearly 600 NHL games of experience and a track record as a puck-moving defenseman who has flashed real value, even if his results have come and gone. Last season with the Chicago Blackhawks was a rough one: no goals, 12 assists in 69 games, and an average of 16:58 of ice time per night with only limited special-teams usage.
That was a sharp drop from what he did in 2024-25 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. There, Grzelcyk was used as the team’s No. 4 defenseman and handled regular power-play work. He averaged the second-most power play time on ice per game on the club, trailing Erik Karlsson by just 22 seconds per game, and the role helped him push past his previous career bests by reaching 40 points for the first time in the NHL.
Buffalo is not getting that version of Grzelcyk, at least not based on last season. But the Sabres don’t need him to be a star right away.
They need cover, and they need someone who can hold down minutes while Samuelsson and Zellweger recover. Grzelcyk can’t replace what Samuelsson brings as a defensive anchor on the penalty kill, but he does look like a workable stand-in for Zellweger in the short term.
The fit makes sense on paper. Both Grzelcyk and Zellweger stand around 5’10” and play with puck-moving instincts.
Zellweger is younger and more dynamic, while Grzelcyk has the advantage of experience. That could put him in position to slide alongside 2021 No. 1 overall pick Owen Power while Zellweger is sidelined.
His arrival also changes the picture for Buffalo’s other depth defensemen. Zach Metsa, Dennis Gilbert, and Ryan Johnson had looked like they might get a clearer path to NHL games with the injuries on the blue line, but Grzelcyk’s signing forces a reshuffle.
All three would need to clear waivers before Buffalo can assign them to the Rochester Americans, and Johnson’s extra year on a one-way $900K contract may help shield him from being claimed. Metsa, who appeared in 43 NHL games last season and is guaranteed $325K for 2026-27, could be the more vulnerable name if he winds up on the waiver wire.
For Grzelcyk, it’s a solid opening. He joins a Buffalo team that nearly reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and is expected to be in the thick of the race again. He also brings 66 career playoff games and a Stanley Cup Final appearance, which gives the Sabres another seasoned option if they make another postseason push.
And if Buffalo is back in the playoffs next year, there’s a good chance this move becomes even more important. Head coach Lindy Ruff had trouble finding a No. 6 defenseman he could trust during the club’s playoff run earlier this year, and Grzelcyk could end up being that guy if the Sabres need one again.
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