The Buffalo Sabres were successful after a lengthy negotiation with Rasmus Dahlin in getting the All-Star defenseman signed to an eight-year, $88 million extension on Monday. Next on the agenda for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is a new deal for 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power.
The 20-year-old is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and was eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but unlike Dahlin, with whom there were frequent rumors over the summer of a deal announcement being imminent, there has been little chatter regarding Power.
Agent Pat Brisson of CAA represents Power and Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson. Sanderson signed an eight-year, $64.4 million deal last month after a 32-point rookie season and the Senators are similarly situated to the Sabres with a number of young core players in Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, and Thomas Chabot on long-term extensions, but that does not necessarily mean that Buffalo and Power are on the same page as Ottawa and Sanderson.
'What I think is critical is making sure the player understands what we're looking to do and that we understand what the player is looking to do. And what's been very clear in our conversations with Owen from the beginning is this is where he wants to be." Adams said. "I'm open (to a long-term deal), but obviously when you have a player that you feel is a critical piece of the core, at it his age, to have him in his prime years…. of course, we’d look to the longer side, but it has to work for both sides."
The Sabres may want to get Power locked up on a seven-or-eight-year deal to buy unrestricted free agent years and save money down the line, but Brisson’s approach may be what Dahlin took out of his rookie contract; a three-year, $18 million bridge deal that set himself up for the bigger payday he just received.
Comparables on a shorter-term deal this summer were K'Andre Miller ($3.872 million for two years with the N.Y. Rangers) and Evan Bouchard ($3.9 million for two years with Edmonton) that would give him a decent raise and give the Sabres some cap maneuverability over the next few years.
Power could wait until next summer to give himself more of a resume to get a better offer, but he does not have as much leverage as the normal restricted free agent since he cannot use the threat of an offer sheet to exact a better offer, so the most likely scenario is a deal being consummated at some point during the season.
Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt did not participate in practice at the Key Bank Center due to an upper-body injury. Head coach Don Granato indicated that the injury was not of a serious nature and that Mittelstadt should be in the lineup for the season opener against the Rangers on Thursday.