Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres announced on Monday the team has extended qualifying offers to a pair of restricted free agents this offseason: Forward Peyton Krebs and defenseman Olen Zellweger.
Krebs put up career-best totals with the Sabres during his 2025-26 season, scoring 12 goals and adding 27 assists for 39 points in all 82 games played. He then added a pair of goals and four assists for six points in 13 playoff games.
The 25-year-old just wrapped up his sixth NHL season, where he has spent the majority of that time with the Sabres organization after being acquired back in 2021 as part of the Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. In 365 games with Buffalo, Krebs has managed to score 42 goals and add 90 assists for 132 points, while carving out a role as a utility player that can play up-and-down the lineup.
The native of of Calgary, Alberta has arbitration rights as a restricted free agent this offseason.
As for Zellweger, the defenseman was recently acquired by the Sabres in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks this past Friday.
The 22-year-old is a puck-moving defenseman, scoring 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points in 164 NHL games, all with the Ducks. He was a former second-round pick (34th overall) of Anaheim in the 2021 NHL Draft.
According to AFP Analytics, Zellweger is projected to earn around $3.239 million with a two-year contract this offseason, while Krebs is projected at $3.546 million for a cap.
Meanwhile, four players did not receive qualifying offers from the Sabres, making them unrestricted free agents come Wednesday, July 1:
- FW - Olivier Nadeau
- D - Nikita Novikov
- D - Zac Jones
- D - Isaac Belliveau
NHL Free Agency and the new league year kicks off Wednesday at 12 p.m.
