Sabres Add Defensive Depth, Signing UFA Matt Grzelcyk
The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year contract worth $850,000. pic.twitter.com/tdy66xTmTE
— Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) September 25, 2026
It's a one-year deal worth $850,000.
Buffalo temporarily lost Matthias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger in the same exhibition game earlier this week. And while the news on both is somewhat promising, adding some veteran depth on the left side is a good move for the team.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said he does expect the concussed Zellweger to be ready for the regular season opener in Columbus next Thursday. Additionally, Samuelsson could return earlier than expected, on the shorter end of a week-to-week timetable. His status for opening night is still in question, however.
Grzelcyk adds some puck-moving and skating ability in his depth role, something that fits the Sabres' style of play.
“A real good competitor,” Ruff said, per The Athletic. “A guy that’s got a lot of NHL games, knows how to play the game. 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."
He is also the former brief defensive partner of Sabres blueliner Louis Crevier.
In 10 NHL seasons, across 596 games, the 32-year-old Grzelcyk has 187 points and an impressive plus/minus rating of +122 while blocking exactly 1.0 shot per game. He's averaged 18:17 of ice time per night.
Last season, with the Chicago Blackhawks, he had no goals and 12 assists in 69 games. The year before, in Pittsburgh, he handed a career-high 39 assists, playing over 20 minutes a night.