UFA Logan Stanley Waits For A Call After 2 Sabres Defensemen Injured

The Buffalo Sabres already find themselves in a bit of a bind. Two key defensemen are now out with injuries from preseason action. Could this create an opening for the return of unsigned unrestricted free agent Logan Stanley?

Owen Zellweger was levelled Tuesday night by Carson Soucy, and has officially been diagnosed with a concussion. 

Oh no

Olen Zellweger gets hit hard by Carson Soucy and stays down on the ice for a while pic.twitter.com/xvs1uGCA7w

— Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) September 23, 2026

It was essentially a clean hit by Soucy, but Zellweger had his head down, and hit his noggin on the ice when he went down. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has confirmed that the D-man suffered a concussion.

Zellweger was acquired this summer by the Sabres from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for prospect forward Anton Wahlberg and a second-round pick in the NHL draft.

Sabres lose not one, but two blueliners in same preseason game

Additionally, in the same game, Mattias Samuelsson was injured after blocking a shot. He tried to take another shift, but left the game after that. He will be week-to-week with a lower body injury.

That’s two holes on defense to fill. 

In the meantime, hulking d-man Logan Stanley, who came to the Sabres and played in a depth role after the trade deadline last season, still sits on the sidelines in free agency, without a deal. 

Many have suggested he overshot his market with his asking price earlier this summer. 

But now, with two blueliners out, are the Sabres desperate, (and is Stanley?) and will they come calling? 

Samuelsson and Zellweger hurt?

Don’t shoot the messenger but there’s probably a non zero % chance that there’s a contract waiting for a very tall defenseman who is still available if those injuries are serious

— Joe Marino (@NotTheJoeMarino) September 23, 2026

After establishing himself with a strong regular season on the Winnipeg Jets blueline for 69 games last season (21 points, 96 hits), his 17 regular-season games with Buffalo were a little less impressive, with five points and 14 hits in under 15 minutes average ice time. He played in 8 of the Sabres' 13 playoff games. But the 6'7" behemoth can take up a lot of space on a defense corps that might be in need. 

We'll keep an eye on this.