The Buffalo Sabres suddenly have a problem on defense.
And it could significantly change the team’s plans moving forward.
Buffalo lost both Mattias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger to injuries during Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, creating uncertainty on a blue line that was already being evaluated carefully heading into the season. Samuelsson is now considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, while Zellweger remains in concussion protocol after taking a hard hit from Carson Soucy.
That’s evidently bad news.
But it also creates an opening.
And it may be an opening for someone Buffalo wasn’t necessarily expecting to need this soon.
Buffalo May Have to Get Creative
The Sabres had been trying to determine how their defense would fit together after making a significant change during the offseason.
They moved Bowen Byram to Chicago and brought in Zellweger as one of the players expected to help fill that void. Zellweger had been skating alongside Owen Power since the beginning of training camp, making the 23-year-old one of the more intriguing pieces of Buffalo’s revamped blue line.
Now, he’s unavailable indefinitely, though he’s officially listed as day-to-day.
That changes things.
At Wednesday’s practice, Louis Crevier moved into Samuelsson’s spot alongside Rasmus Dahlin, while Conor Timmins joined Power. Dennis Gilbert and Zach Metsa remained together, while Ryan Johnson and Radim Mrtka were brought into the NHL group to give Buffalo eight healthy defensemen at practice.
That last part is particularly interesting.
Mrtka was not necessarily expected to be an opening-night fixture. The 2025 first-round pick made his professional debut with Rochester last season, playing eight games after coming over from the Czech Republic.
Suddenly, he is in the conversation.
That’s how quickly things can change during training camp.
Mrtka isn’t being asked to replace Samuelsson or Zellweger outright. Nobody should expect a young defenseman to simply step into one of those roles and reproduce what those players bring.
But that’s not really the point.
Buffalo needs someone who can make the coaching staff comfortable enough that the overall structure doesn’t fall apart.
That’s a much more achievable task.
And Mrtka has already caught Lindy Ruff’s attention. The Sabres coach said the young defenseman has had a good camp, while also identifying him as one of the players pushing toward an NHL opportunity.
That makes Thursday’s preseason game in Detroit more interesting than it might have been a few days ago.
Mrtka now has something to play for.
The Sabres Could Discover Something They Didn’t Expect
There’s an interesting possibility here.
An injury crisis can force an organization to find out more about its depth than it intended.
A player who looked like a seventh defenseman a week ago can suddenly find himself skating alongside a top-pair player.
That’s where Mrtka comes in.
Buffalo doesn’t need to rush him into a major role just because two players got hurt. If anything, Zellweger’s concussion protocol makes patience particularly important. Ruff said Zellweger was already feeling better Wednesday, but also made it clear he didn’t want to get ahead of the situation.
Still, the Sabres can use this stretch to learn something.
Maybe Crevier is the answer.
Perhaps Johnson can really step up.
Maybe Timmins becomes more important than expected.
Or maybe Mrtka makes the decision much harder.
That’s the part Buffalo should be excited about.
The 20-year-old defenseman was already viewed as an eventual NHL player. The question was more about when that opportunity would arrive. The injuries to Samuelsson and Zellweger could accelerate that timeline.
And if Mrtka handles it well, Buffalo suddenly has a completely different roster decision to make.
That’s a good problem.
Ruff already acknowledged that the Sabres will have to deal with adversity immediately. “You want to be a good team, you’re going to have to deal with some adversity,” he said, before pointing out that it creates an opportunity for somebody to step up and play additional minutes.
That is exactly what Buffalo needs to see.
The Sabres are trying to take another step after missing the playoffs last season. Teams trying to make that jump need depth. They don’t get to choose when injuries arrive.
Buffalo just received an early test of whether its blue line has enough of it.
And if somebody unexpected takes advantage of this opportunity, the Sabres could come out of a difficult situation with something they didn’t have before.
A legitimate new option on defense.
Sabres Injury Woes Could Change Their Defensive Plans