On July 2, 2012, Ott was traded, along with Adam Pardy, to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Derek Roy. As a Sabre, he quickly became a fan favorite due to his hard work ethic, playing ability, toughness, and desire to win. He scored his first goal as a Sabre in Buffalo's home opener on January 20, 2013, on a power play goal against the Philadelphia Flyers. He had his first fight as a Sabre on January 25, 2013, at home against Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason. On March 19, 2013, Ott scored an early goal in the first period and the overtime winner against the Montreal Canadiens to record his first multi-goal game with the Sabres. As of April 4, 2013, he was promoted to alternate captain after the Sabres traded captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild at the 2013 NHL trade deadline, joining Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford as alternate captains for the Sabres. Ott finished his first season with Buffalo with nine goals, 15 assists, 93 penalty minutes and five fights in 48 games, though the Sabres failed to make the 2013 playoffs. On October 1, 2013, Ott and Thomas Vanek were both awarded the captaincy of the Sabres. However, later in the month on October 27, Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders, leaving Ott as the team's sole captain.
St. Louis Blues
Approaching the 2013–14 trade deadline, Ott and fellow impending free agent Ryan Miller were traded by the rebuilding Sabres to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jaroslav Halák, Chris Stewart, William Carrier and two future draft picks. On December 5, 2015, Ott suffered a season-ending injury in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Attempting to deliver a body check to Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, Ott missed the hit and fell awkwardly into the boards. He was diagnosed with a torn hamstring and missed the remainder of the 2015–16 season. He practiced with the Blues prior to Game 3 of their first-round series against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks but did not play until their second-round series against the Dallas Stars. He played in 9 playoff games, putting up one assist as the Blues lost in the Western Conference Final to the San Jose Sharks.
Detroit Red Wings
Becoming a free agent in the offseason, Ott signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2016.
On May 25, 2017, Ott retired from his professional hockey playing career, and was named as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues for the 2017–18 season. He finished his career with 848 career games in the NHL. On June 12, 2019, Ott won his first Stanley Cup as the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games.
Personal life
Ott has been married twice and has three children, one from his first marriage, and two from his current marriage. Before beginning his professional hockey career, Ott raced kneeldown outboard hydroplanes and runabouts in the American Power Boat Association. His father is the current world champion and a past national champion in the Outboard Performance Craft - SST 45 class. He pit crews for his father during his off-season in the summer.
