Top Pick Owen Power to Make Debut for Buffalo Sabres

At last, the Buffalo Sabres are set to welcome their 2021 first-overall pick, Owen Power, to the lineup.

Power, a 19-year-old defenseman, just finished his season at the University of Michigan where he helped the Wolverines reach the Frozen Four. His club fell in the semifinals to the eventual champions, the University of Denver Pioneers.

On the season, Power played in 33 games, picking up 32 points (three goals and 29 assists) to go with a career-best plus-27 rating for the Wolverines.

Now, Power will shift his attention to the National Hockey League. He and the Sabres agreed to a three-year contract over the weekend, which has set up the young blueliner to make his NHL debut on Tuesday when Buffalo takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Owen Power is expected to be in the Sabres lineup on Tuesday.

Although the Sabres have nothing to play for in terms of the 2021-2022 season, the future looks as bright as it has in years for the always-struggling franchise.

Buffalo moved former captain Jack Eichel earlier this year, and it has seemingly freed the entire organization to operate at a higher level. The Sabres own a 26-37-11 record, which puts them in sixth place in the Atlantic Division.

It may not be a spectacular season, but it feels like a step in the right direction. Tage Thompson has had a career year, while Alex Tuch has emerged as a potential cornerstone for the franchise. Now, Power enters the lineup, and it begins to feel as though the future of the Sabres is here.

Buffalo is currently on a three-game losing streak, but prior to that, the team had posted a 10-4-3 record since the beginning of March, which is an encouraging finish for a club that tends to be as cold as ice by this stage of the campaign.

The Sabres will attempt to get back on track, both in terms of snapping their losing streak and eventually their playoff drought, when they welcome Power to the team.