Yes, Olen Zellweger has the inside track to join Owen Power on the Buffalo Sabres' second defensive pair when the puck drops on the new NHL season. No, that doesn't mean you should expect Louis Crevier and Conor Timmins to play together regularly.
Instead, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff plans to get his top three defensemen — Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson — some extra shifts by playing them with Crevier, who arrived to Buffalo in the blockbuster Bowen Byram trade, and Timmins.
"When you look at playing the top guys the amount we do, you can easily roll one of those left defensemen out there with either one of those guys," Ruff told reporters Tuesday. "So, not particularly gonna look at playing them together a lot. They may see some shifts together. ... I mean, most teams take a [No.] 5-6 defenseman, give us 12-to-14 minutes of good hockey and don't get scored against."
It's a similar approach to what the Sabres used during last season's playoff run when Ruff was trying to maximize the number of shifts for his top defenders.
Buffalo is in a unique position because its top four blue-line options are all left-shot players. The longtime NHL coach has typically preferred balanced pairs (a lefty with a righty) throughout his career behind the bench, but the team's roster complexion makes that difficult at the moment. It may change in the coming years once prospects Daxon Rudolph and Radim Mrtka, both right-shot defensemen, prove themselves ready for hockey's highest level.
For now, however, the Sabres will attempt to replace Byram, who opened his Chicago Blackhawks tenure with a preseason hat trick on Monday night, in the aggregate.
Dahlin and Samuelsson will operate as the full-time top pair for the second straight season. Zellweger should join Power in most situations, but don't be surprised if Crevier or Timmins occupies that spot at times, typically when it comes to defensive-zone starts.
Then, rather than the club's two right-shot defenders playing together on the third pair, Buffalo will mix them in next to Dahlin, Samuelsson and Power for their even-strength shifts.
So, while Crevier and Timmins will still see the ice together at times, it won't be a traditional rolling of three defensive pairs for the Blue and Gold. It'll be a mix-and-match situation.
The Sabres defense was the engine that drove much of the team's success last season en route to the franchise's first postseason appearance in 15 years. Having Dahlin, Samuelsson or Power out there as much as possible gives Buffalo the best chance to replicate that in 2026-27.
Lindy Ruff discusses first impressions of trade acquisition Louis Crevier
The Sabres sent Byram and Jordan Greenway to the Blackhawks in late June for Crevier, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft (used to select Rudolph) and the No. 45 selection, which was flipped to the Anaheim Ducks in the Zellweger trade.
Crevier was an intriguing pickup for Buffalo. He's a 6-foot-8, 236-pound heavyweight who moves around the ice well for a player of his size, and he held his own when thrust into occasional top-four minutes for Chicago last season.
The 25-year-old Canadian finished his first full NHL season with 25 points (seven goals and 18 assists) in 78 appearances for the Hawks. He also racked up 124 hits and 95 blocked shots.
"He's got a bomb for a shot obviously," Ruff said Tuesday. "You know, I think he's coming back from the [shoulder] surgery. That might take a little bit of time. He's got some offense in him and I think getting pucks to the net is a quality that he has that can help our team."
Crevier has been a full participant in camp practices while going through the final stages of recovery from the offseason procedure.
It'll be interesting to see whether the 2020 seventh-round pick can take another leap forward in 2026-27 after the progress he made last season in Chicago. If he does, there's a chance he could push Zellweger for that spot next to Power on the second pairing.
Crevier's defensive presence could yield more offensive freedom to Power, who often allowed Byram to handle those puck-carrying responsibilities in 2025-26. The Sabres would still love to see the 2021 first overall selection evolve into a much larger scoring threat.
Even if Crevier sticks in a more sheltered even-strength role, there's a strong chance he emerges as a penalty-killing contributor for Buffalo. The team ranked fourth in the NHL in PK percentage (81.9%) last season, but it's another area with question marks following Byram's exit.
Special teams — keeping the penalty kill among the league's elite and improving a lackluster power play — will be crucial in determining how the campaign goes for the Blue and Gold.
The Sabres have three preseason games left before opening the regular season Oct. 1 with a trip to face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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