Buffalo Sabres: Owen Power gets his contract extension early

The Buffalo Sabres are getting ready to have what they hope is a big year. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2011 and that is the longest drought in the NHL. They have been building ever since and nothing has really worked.

People think that what they have going now is working though. They barely missed out on ending that playoff drought last year which left a sour taste in their mouth. They have made a ton of high draft picks throughout this whole process and that is why they are becoming so good now.

One of those incredible high draft picks was Owen Power. He was the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft as Buffalo won the lottery for the second time in four years.

The first time around in 2018, they selected Rasmus Dahlin. Last week, they finalized a huge extension with Dahlin that is going to (starting next season) pay him $11 million over the following eight years. Of course, that is a very lucrative NHL contract for a very good defenseman.

Owen Power deserves to be with the Buffalo Sabres for a long time.

That left Owen Power as their other top player who needed a contract after this season ends. The difference is that Dahlin had a bridge deal to get him to this point. Power was more likely to just sign a long-term extension. That would lead to Buffalo eating more of his good years for less money.

That deal ended up being announced on Wednesday. It is a seven-year deal with $8.35 million. This is a great deal for him and his family as they are now given some stability. Now, it is time for him to focus on continuing his great development so that Buffalo can move toward a championship.

With Dahlin and Power leading things on the blue line, big things are coming. They are going to be very hard to play against for a long time.

With forwards like Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Zach Benson, Alex Tuch, and Jeff Skinner amongst others in the mix, they can score goals in bunches as well. If Devon Levi becomes an elite goalie, they will be even better. All of this will blend well for a long time.

Power is deserving of this contract because of what he’s done but also because of what the future holds for him. In short order, this may look like a team-friendly deal. Congrats to both the team and the player. It is easy to see how good this team is going to be in short order.