Just two days after securing the services of Rasmus Dahlin for eight more years, the Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Owen Power to a seven-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $8.35 million.
The Sabres now have five core players under the age of 26 on long-term contracts. In addition to Dahlin and Power, forwards Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson all signed seven-year extensions last season.
Power established himself as one of those core players during a rookie season that saw him log historic minutes for a 20-year-old defenseman. He led rookies in average time on ice (23:48) and ranked fifth among all NHL skaters in total even-strength ice time (1,634:47).
Power averaged 20:44 at even strength, the highest mark by an NHL rookie since the league started tracking the statistic during the 1997-98 season. He was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Coaches and teammates marveled at the defenseman’s poise through it all, one of the traits that made him the first-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Sabres open the season at home Thursday against the New York Rangers. Limited tickets are available here.