Grading the Sabres’ Trade for Ducks’ Zellweger

The Buffalo Sabres continue to be active ahead of tonight’s NHL Draft. Earlier this week, they sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for the fourth overall pick in the 2026 draft. Then today, they acquired Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a draft pick and a prospect. Here are the full details:

Sabres Acquire:

• Olen Zellweger

Ducks acquire:

• Anton Wahlberg
• 2026 second-round pick (45th overall)

Zellweger fell out of favor with the Ducks toward the end of this season, so it’s not that surprising they traded him. He’s an RFA due for a modest pay raise this summer, and the Sabres get someone who has the potential to break out and replace what they lost in Byram.

A Good Bet by the Sabres

At a surface level, this trade makes plenty of sense for the Sabres. Byram was an effective, puck-moving defenseman who fit in well on the team’s second pair. Zellweger hasn’t reached the level that Byram has yet, but there’s reason to believe he has another gear he can reach.

The strength of Zellweger’s game is his mobility and offensive ability. He’s highly efficient in transition, excelling at gaining the offensive zone with puck possession and exiting the defensive zone cleanly. He’s not afraid to carry the puck out with his skating ability, but he also breaks out of the defensive zone through his passing.

Zellweger is also an excellent skater. He ranked in the 99th percentile in speed bursts between 18-20 mph and 20-22 mph. That should fit in well with the rush-based game that the Sabres like to play under head coach Lindy Ruff.

Aside from his skating, Zellweger can create in the offensive zone. He’s not afraid to shoot the puck, and he can set up his teammates for shooting chances. The area of concern for him moving forward will be how he holds up defensively.

Zellweger is only 5-foot-10 and has struggled with defensive zone retrievals. He’s also not the best rush defender, which is a bit surprising given his skating ability. That does mean he may have some room to improve his rush defense, however. The good news for Zellweger is that he should start in a sheltered third-pair role, so they can keep him away from difficult defensive minutes.

The Sabres will need to re-sign Zellweger in the coming days, and it’ll be interesting to see what number that will be. Evolving Hockey projects him for a seven-year deal with a cap hit of $6.132 million. That’s a bit pricey for what he is now, so it wouldn’t shock me if the Sabres opt to bridge him.

But even if the Sabres go long-term with Zellweger on an extension, he’ll likely end up being half the price of what it would have cost to extend Byram, who will be an RFA next offseason and was not interested in signing with the Sabres. The Sabres didn’t pay much to acquire him, and he can likely fill Byram’s role somewhere down the road, if not immediately. All around solid work from GM Jarmo Kekalainen once again.

Sabres Grade: B+

Ducks Recoup Some Assets

It’s clear the Ducks weren’t willing to pay Zellweger. They have to take care of Pavel Mintyukov, Cutter Gauthier, and Leo Carlsson, all RFAs heading for modest to significant pay raises this offseason. They also need to add a couple of right-handed defensemen to their lineup, so money will get tight quickly.

GM Pat Verbeek did well to extract value for someone they weren’t going to keep. The second-round pick is more or less a shot in the dark, but Wahlberg looks like a decent prospect. He finished with nine goals and 38 points in 68 games for the Rochester Americans as a 20-year-old this season and seems to be trending in the right direction:

We’ll see if Verbeek decides to flip the second-round pick to bring in some help, perhaps on the right side of the Ducks’ defense, but Wahlberg could develop into a bottom-six forward in due time. All in all, a decent return for the Ducks, too.

Ducks Grade: B

Advanced stats from Hockey Stats, NHL EDGE