The Stats Don't Lie – This Sabres Star Defenseman Is Taking His Game To New Heights

At a time when high-impact defensemen are hard for teams to come by, the Buffalo Sabres have three of them – captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and 2026 first-round draft pick Daxon Rudolph, the latter who is currently honing his craft in the NCAA with the University of Denver. Teams would kill to have just one of those players, but Buffalo has three.

But this season in particular, Power is taking his game to a new level. Power had a three-assist night Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he now has 12 assists and 14 points in 17 games.

Obviously, that’s an unsustainable pace for a player who has career highs of eight goals and 40 points. But here’s another indication of how well Power’s year has been going – both of his two goals are overtime-winners. Power was never projected to be a front-runner for the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top point-getter, but the way he’s started this current season, Buffalo management has to be elated.

Making matters even better for Power is his contract – which runs through the 2030-31 campaign at the annual salary of $8.35-million. As the salary cap ceiling continues to rise exponentially, Power’s contract is going to look better and better. And although this current productivity may be an anomaly for Power, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that he keeps his game at the lofty place it’s at right now.

And maybe the most-impressive part of Power’s season this year is in the time-on-ice department. Power presently is averaging 25:59 of ice time – four minutes and 20 seconds more than he averaged last season, and more than three minutes better than his career average of 22:35. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has given Power the reins, and Power has rewarded him for it.

Indeed, Ruff trusts Power in all situations. Power currently averages 2:30 of penalty-kill time – good enough for third place on the team – and he averages 1:58 of power play time. It doesn’t matter what job Ruff gives him – Power is going to accept the challenge and raise his game accordingly. He’s logged 26 minutes or more in nine games this year. Impressive, to say the least

And the best part? Power is only 23 years old. He’s not even close to his prime, and that should frighten Buffalo opponents half-to-death. And while his next contract in 2031 will be considerably larger, the discount Power took on his current deal will factor into how big that raise eventually is going to be,

This is why teams have to pay a competitive toll to acquire players of Power’s caliber. You don’t see teams trading elite defensemen, unless there are extenuating circumstances (see Hughes, Quinn) or there are health issues that send red flags into the air. You don’t get them in free-agency, as they usually are signed to maximum-term contract well before July 1 every year. The only way to pick up a player as skilled as Power is at the top of the draft. 

And that’s why the drafting of Rudolph with this past summer’s No. 4-overall pick is so important, By the time the 26-year-old Dahlin and Power are close to their thirties, Rudolph will be able to provide the youthful energy – and Sabres brass should have Rudolph signed at a team-friendly number.

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. This column is in praise of Power. His current totals will almost assuredly level off, but he is absolutely thriving for the Sabres. And unless Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen loses his mind and trades Power, he’s going to be a fixture in Buffalo for a long time to come.