BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — The official start to NHL Free Agency has passed, and the Buffalo Sabres had a pretty quiet beginning to an important stretch of the offseason.
This isn't to say more moves from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and the front office aren't a possibility but overall, Wednesday was a pretty status quo day for the organization.
The buzz around Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and his possible connection via trade to the Sabres was certainly prevalent throughout the day but as it stands, both sides have yet to see eye-to-eye on a fair deal according to multiple national reporters.
That leads us to the moves made today.
Arguably the most notable is the trade between Buffalo and Edmonton that sent goalie Devon Levi and a 2028 7th-round pick to the Oilers in exchange for a 2028 3rd-round pick.
It's sort of wild to see the decline of Levi within the Sabres organization. Just three years ago, he was looked at as "the guy" and the future of the Sabres between the pipes. Sadly, that never manifested itself into anything that kept Levi out of Rochester and up in the NHL.
So the timing to move on from Levi and getting something out of it just seemed like the right thing to do for Buffalo.
Kekalainen also talked about the three-year, $3.1 million AAV contract extension the team signed with newly acquired defenseman Olen Zellweger.
“I think we patched some holes on defense with Olen Zellweger. I think he can progress to what Bowen Byram was for us," said Kekalainen.
Without seeing him on the ice in blue and gold, I think it's completely unfair to jump to conclusions. However, Byram, who signed a massive six-year, $12.5 million AAV extension with Chicago, did leave some pretty big shoes to fill. So don't get your hopes up that the young 22-year-old Zellweger is going to immediately be a household name.
To cap it off, the team also announced a few more signings, including Buffalo native and St. Joe's alum Dennis Gilbert. Who signed a one-year, one-way $850,000 contract to return to WNY.
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Dennis Gilbert to one-way contracts worth $850,000. Additionally, the Buffalo Sabres have signed forwards Trevor Kuntar (two years) and Jason Polin (one year) to two-way contracts. pic.twitter.com/gXjZ29atSg
— Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) July 1, 2026
One note to add is that Kekalainen told reporters that they are still working on a possible deal with RFA forward Peyton Krebs.
