Power signs 7-year, $58.45 million contract with Sabres

Owen Power signed a seven-year, $58.45 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. The contract begins next season and has an average annual value of $8.35 million.

The 20-year-old defenseman was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year last season, when he had 35 points (four goals, 31 assists) in 79 games. He led all rookies in average time on ice (23:48) and ranked fifth among all NHL skaters in total even-strength ice time (1,634:47). He is entering the final season of a three-year, entry-level contract. He had been eligible to sign since July 1.

The signing came one day before the Sabres open the season against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, MSG-B, MSG, SN360).

"It’s obviously a nice feeling to get it done before the year," Power said Thursday. "I don’t have to worry about it. It was a super-exciting moment. So I think, like I said, just an awesome feeling to get it done."

Power’s signing came two days after Buffalo signed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to an eight-year, $88 million contract ($11 million AAV), which also begins next season. Dahlin was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

"I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to play with a guy like 'Dahls' for the next eight years," Power said. "So I think it’s awesome that they want us to be here and I think that just the core that we have built are going to be around for the next seven, eight years is just a great step to becoming a winning franchise."

General manager Kevyn Adams said Power, like Dahlin, showed a willingness to be a long-term part of the Sabres.

"[Power] wanted to be here," he said. "It was very clear, and he made it known that he wanted to be here, and he wanted to be here for a long time. It’s just a matter of how you get that done. But yeah, thrilled to have him. Can’t be more excited about it."

Power said the next step in his growth is continuing to develop the offensive side of his game.

"I think I said it at the end of last year, my shot and my scoring ability was kind of a big thing I saw needed to be improved, so I think that’s kind of the next step," he said. "But I think at the end of the day, with me, I just try to get a little bit better every day and I’ll just continue to build, and that’ll allow me to take bigger steps later on."

Adams believes Power already is pretty far along in his development for a player with 87 games of NHL experience.

"I think what he did at his age is pretty remarkable and the minutes he played, and they weren't sheltered minutes, all the situations, in that position at that age," he said. "Obviously he has talent; everybody can see that he has talent. But the maturity he plays with, the calmness, the poise, and he’s still getting bigger and stronger. So he’s just scratching the surface of what I believe he can do. When you have defensemen like him that can be out there 25-plus minutes per game in every situation and then you add, by the way, Rasmus Dahlin and (Mattias) Samuelsson that are young and can eat up huge minutes, I think that’s a really good place to start building your team."

Buffalo was fifth in the Atlantic Division last season (42-33-7), finishing one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Sabres haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2011, but with Power and Dahlin signed for the long term, along with a talented forward group led by Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, that postseason drought could be nearing its end.

"It’s very comforting to know we have Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and now Owen Power locked up long term," coach Don Granato said. "Those collective three are pretty imposing. They are ready, and their potential is really still off the charts. Owen being the youngest guy, having really only one full year in the NHL, what he has done in one year has been impressive. And you see the foundation is so significantly strong that each and every day and moment of experience, because he is so talented, it adds right to that foundation. Those three guys collectively are great, and it’s a great job by Kevyn to have the foresight, first with the Mattias deal a year ago (seven-year contract signed Oct. 12, 2022), to lock him up. And the first opportunity here, July 1, being able to re-sign Rasmus and now Owen is significant."

NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report