BUFFALO – The Sabres, who lost two of their top defensemen to injury in Tuesday’s preseason game, added depth to their blue line this morning by signing veteran Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $850,000 contract.
Inking the left-shot Grzelcyk, a puck-moving defender, indicates Mattias Samuelsson, who’s week to week with a lower-body injury, and Olen Zellweger, who has a concussion, could be sidelined into the regular season.
The Sabres open their campaign Thursday on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Grzelcyk, 32, spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, compiling zero goals, 12 assists and 32 penalty minutes.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Boston native set career highs with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024-25, registering 39 assists and 40 points in 82 games.
He spent parts of eight seasons with the Bruins after they drafted him in the third round in 2012, 85th overall.
He has compiled 26 goals, 187 points and 285 penalty minutes in 596 career NHL games.
Update: Sabres coach Lindy Ruff called Grzelcyk “a real good competitor.”
“A guy that’s got a lot of NHL games, knows how to play the game,” he said this afternoon in KeyBank Center. “He’s a good pro, and I think we got some question marks with a couple of our players. It just gives us some veteran depth that right now we need.”
Ruff said Samuelsson will be sidelined “on the shorter side.”
Meanwhile, Ruff said Zellweger skated today and should be ready for the season opener.
“In all likelihood, I would anticipate him being ready for next week,” he said.
Check back later for a full story on Grzelcyk.