Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 Player Report Card: Owen Power

A handful of Buffalo Sabres defenders had some seasons that deserved to be picked apart and scrutinized. Among them, for a few different reasons, is young defender Owen Power, as he completed his fourth full NHL season and had only small improvements to show for it. Where many would expect a first-overall pick to make some significant strides in their game, there were times Power looked stagnant, and other times it looked like he was really getting the message from the coaching staff and developing into something greater.

Power’s Progression and Regressions

It is an inevitability that Power will be compared to the likes of other first-overall selected defenders; chief among them Sabres’ captain, Rasmus Dahlin, and his development path. While the exact path will not be the same for every player, nor is each player going to be the same type, comparisons in development will still be made. As in Power’s case, comparatively, he is a little behind on his progress. When he was drafted, he was touted as a puck-moving offensive defender with great skating and high power-play upside. Since he has been in the NHL, the numbers and his usual performances show the contrary.

In his NHL career thus far, he has amassed 27 goals and 140 points in 323 games. While his goal total has steadily gone up over the years, he still displays a reluctance to shoot the puck, despite having a very underrated shot. He has never been much of a physical presence despite his 6-foot-6 stature, but he has shown that he can use his size to make very good defensive plays. This is where he has shown marked improvement: his defensive capabilities. The issue is that it seems to hinder his offensive instincts, and he gets caught flat-footed a lot due to his wanting to do one thing while his responsibility is to do another.

On top of all of this, Power has seen regular power-play time, despite not being a regular producer in that category. He has a total of one goal and 20 power-play points in his NHL career, and last season, he put up zero in both columns, as Bowen Byram was favored for that role by the end of the season. With Byram now out of the way, Power will need to step up and be the Sabres’ second-best defender and power-play man this season.

Grading Power

Power finished his 2025-26 regular season with eight goals (a career high), 21 assists, and 29 points, and was a plus-9. His stats do not paint the entire picture of his development last season, as he did show a lot of progress. This came to be shown a little more in the playoffs when he put up six points (all assists) in the 13 games played, and was one of their more steady defenders throughout. He learned some great lessons along the way, and while he still has a ways to go, there is a lot to like about what he showed this past season. That being said, these would be his grades:

• Scoring – B
• Defense – B+
• Leadership – B-
• Playmaking – B
• Teamwork – B-

The grades are not terrible by any means, but they reflect the game that he played, along with how much improvement he showed. Power still needs to find his way as a top-end defender and make use of the weapons at his disposal. With Byram now out of the picture, he will have every chance to be the No. 2 defender in Buffalo.

Power’s Future In Buffalo

Power is entering the third year of his long-term deal he signed back in 2023, and with it not expiring until after the 2030-31 season, the Sabres still have him locked up for a good price ($8.35 million annually). While he has no trade protection on his deal until the very last season, and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen could move him for some good pieces if he wanted to, the likelihood of that happening is not very high. Yes, there were some trade rumors at the end of the season and around the draft, but the crux of those discussions was around whether the Sabres would keep him or Byram. With Byram being the one that was moved, it is clear Power is meant to stay in Buffalo.