When the Anaheim Ducks’ season ended in the spring, Olen Zellweger felt something might be coming. After playing 76 regular-season games, Zellweger was scratched nine times in the Ducks’ 12 playoff games. He was about to become a restricted free agent, and the Ducks ultimately chose to trade him to the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg.
“I wasn’t looking for a trade specifically or anything,” Zellweger said before the start of the season. “They always had kind of a specific way of running that team. I thought maybe something might happen. You know what they say, the writing’s on the wall sometimes. It’s a good opportunity here for me to really try to get back in the flow of playing well offensively and stuff. Not that I wasn’t there, but it’s a different challenge. I learned a lot on the defensive side of the puck. I think overall it helped me get my feet under me in the NHL to play consistent games and play real solidly. I learned a lot that way. Most important thing is just keep getting better.”
Bottom line, Zellweger embraced the trade to Buffalo and immediately signed a three-year contract worth $3.1 million per year on July 1. He didn’t sign a one-year deal and kick the can down the road. He didn’t need to see what life was like in the Sabres’ dressing room. Zellweger’s thoughts were simple.
“I just want to play hockey,” the 23-year-old said. “This team was really good last year. They had a great season. Those things are what is really important. For the most part, every team is pretty close. That wasn’t too much of a worry. I had heard good things from a couple of guys. The winning is super important, just being on a good team. You don’t win the Stanley Cup every year, but you want to be on a competitive team and striving toward something. Two or three years ago in Anaheim there we were kind of just finishing off the season and it was a way different feeling. It’s not the same as when every game matters so much. Even now we’re a few games into the season, and every game means so much.”
That feeling has been heightened playing in the Atlantic Division, the most competitive in the NHL. The Eastern Conference playoff race has been tighter than the Western Conference in recent years, and the Sabres’ 5-4-3 start has already added some urgency to their early-season West Coast road trip.
So far, Zellweger is playing a big role for the Sabres. After missing the first game of the season with a concussion, Zellweger is averaging 19:55 per game, the highest average of his career. Last season, he averaged 16:59 per game with the Ducks. Over 10 games, the defenseman has three goals and two assists. He came to the Sabres with a reputation as an elite skater who can transport the puck and contribute to a team’s offense. He’s lived up to that.
“It’s his edge work more than anything,” Sabres forward Josh Doan said. “It’s how quickly he can turn on a guy and get up ice. The transition speed of (when) we’re going back and if you turn a puck over, he’s ahead of two guys, and he’s in the rush. It’s just his explosiveness and edge work. It’s pretty fun to watch. He’s got a motor to him.”
That was evident Tuesday night against the Sharks, when Zellweger jumped into the rush, took a pass from Konsta Helenius, dragged the puck and snapped a shot by Yaroslav Askarov for the eventual game-winning goal.
“I thought he played great,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He used his legs unbelievable in the game. They’re a good skating team and he out-skated quite a few of their guys. His game is in a good place. He feels comfortable. His defending is good. It was great to see him play that way. He was a big part of us winning.”
Zellweger is more than just a smooth skater who can jump into the rush, though. During his five-on-five minutes, the Sabres have 59 percent of the expected goals, 57 percent of the scoring chances and 61 percent of the high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s done this while facing the toughest matchups among Sabres defensemen, according to Hockey Stat Cards. He’s second in shifts that start in the defensive zone.
Zellweger isn’t a big defenseman at 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds. Still, Doan said his off-ice habits are right near the top of the league. His teammates have already noticed he’s dialed into his nutrition as much as anyone on the team. And he’s serious about taking advantage of the chance he has in Buffalo to elevate his game.
Doan remembers being in that spot last season when he joined the Sabres.
“It’s one of those things where you play on a team for a couple years, and they value you but maybe not to the extent they might value other guys,” Doan said. “Mistakes come, and they give you a little shorter leash. And he’s a guy that you have to give a long leash to and see what he can do before you tighten it up. You’re starting to see that now: just the confidence to make plays with the puck. The more he gets confident game by game, the more he’s going to embrace the opportunity. Early on, it can be a little bit of that tightening the stick and not wanting to make a mistake because you’re used to the past and where you’ve been rather than embracing the new opportunity and new coaching and teammates.”
It’s early, but Zellweger is showing why he can be a fine replacement for Bowen Byram, who was unwilling to negotiate a contract extension with the Sabres, leading general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen to trade him and Jordan Greenway to Chicago for the No. 4 pick (which the team used to draft defenseman Daxon Rudolph), defenseman Louis Crevier and a second-round pick that was used as part of the Zellweger trade. Byram signed a seven-year contract worth $12.5 million per year. He’s only played in six games, but the results haven’t been strong in his elevated role with the Blackhawks. Zellweger, meanwhile, is more than $9 million cheaper and has fit in seamlessly with the Sabres.