The Buffalo Sabres didn’t bring in a ton of new faces this offseason, but they did trade for Olen Zellweger.
It was an exciting move to add the young defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks and help bolster a blue line unit that did lose Bowen Byram in the trade to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Zellweger has the potential to blossom into a star over time with Buffalo.
But when the Sabres open their season on Thursday night in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, Zellweger won’t be on the ice.
He’s out with an injury sustained in the preseason. It was a concussion, certainly something that no one is going to mess around with.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Wednesday that Zellweger won’t play in the season opener for Buffalo.
Zellweger was concussed during the preseason, and he hadn’t yet cleared concussion protocol, per Ruff on Wednesday.
Last season, Zellweger played in 76 games for Anaheim and put up seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points.
He has the potential to raise those numbers for the Sabres, whenever he’s able to return.
When is Olen Zellweger Coming Back?
There’s no set date for Zellweger’s return, but he’s eligible to return whenever he’s ready.
He was placed on injured reserve, but that works retroactively to when he was hurt, so he’ll have been on IR long enough to be activated as soon as Saturday’s home opener.
Concussions are tricky things, though, and the Sabres will clearly be responsible with Zellweger’s health. Eventually, he’ll get to make his Buffalo debut, but there’s no telling yet quite when.
The Sabres will also have to figure out how to fit Zellweger into the lineup. He lost a valuable week-plus of figuring out how to work with whoever Ruff decides is his defensive partner.
Sabres Schedule
With Zellweger’s return in mind, it’s worth a look at the Sabres schedule to see what’s coming up next and when he might be able to get back on the ice.
Thursday’s opener in Columbus against the Blue Jackets was already ruled out.
Buffalo returns home on Saturday for its home opener, and that one should be supercharged a bit — they’re hosting the traded-away Byram and the Blackhawks. It’d certainly make the Sabres feel good to have the new defenseman Zellweger on the ice when they face their former standout Byram.
The Sabres then remain home to host the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 6 and the Dallas Stars on Oct. 8, games on a Tuesday and a Thursday. Then they have even two more games in the homestand — Saturday the 10th against the Utah Mammoth, and Monday the 12th against the Florida Panthers.
Buffalo finally hits the road again for a game on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in Montreal against the Canadiens.
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