Camp Notebook | Talks on Dahlin, Power extensions intensifying

In his time as general manager, Kevyn Adams has prioritized building for sustainable success. Over the past two years, he has solidified a strong, young core with several long-term contracts, including deals with Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson.

With the growing expectation of a Stanley Cup in Buffalo, Adams is focused on adding two more players to that list this season: Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

“I mean, these guys are both elite, young defensemen in the league,” Adams said prior to the group’s first practice at training camp. “…They're both, to me, critically important pieces of the puzzle moving forward.”

Dahlin and Power both proved their value last season while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time per game and logging minutes in all situations.

Dahlin, 23, had a career year after recording 73 points (15+58) in 78 contests, which ranked fifth among NHL defensemen. Power was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie.

While Adams works out a deal and makes sure all parties involved are satisfied, he remains optimistic about the way things are going, adding that talks with both defensemen's representatives have been intensifying in the past week and as recently as last night.

“They’ve clearly indicated to me and to us that this is where they want to be, and they believe in this team, and they believe in the direction we’re headed,” Adams said. “So, throughout the summer, I’ve had what I would characterize as very positive conversations, productive conversations.

“The biggest thing for me is I want them to be focused on this season. I want our team to be focused, so we’re going to keep working at it here and see where we can go.”

Dahlin said he's been focusing on the one thing that he can control and that’s getting ready for the season ahead. With a year left on his contract before hitting restricted free agency, the blueliner is focused on making sure his body and mind are ready to go.

“I have one more year on my contract and I’m not really worried about anything,” Dahlin said. “I love the city. I love the team. I love everything. So, I’m not worried.

“I’ve had a great summer. I’m as motivated as I’ve ever been, so I’m super excited for the season.”

As training camp continues over the next two weeks, Adams will keep working with Dahlin and Power’s agents to come to an agreement while the duo shifts its attention to the year ahead and reaching the expectations that they have set for themselves.

“I’ve got high expectations of myself,” Dahlin said. “I want to get better. I want to have a better year than last year. I keep pushing myself every day and that’s all I can do pretty much.”

Here are more notes from the first day of practice sessions at KeyBank Center.

1. The 64 players at camp were spread across three separate groups for practice. Here is how Team White and Team Blue lined up for Day 1.

Team White Training Camp Lines – 09/21

Forwards:

Jeff Skinner - Tage Thompson - Zach Benson

Jordan Greenway - Tyson Jost - Victor Olofsson

Aleksandr Kisakov - Brandon Biro - Kyle Okposo

Brett Murray - Peyton Krebs - Lukas Rousek

Defensemen:

Rasmus Dahlin - Connor Clifton

Riley Stillman - Jacob Bryson

Ryan Johnson - Kale Clague

Nikita Novikov - Jeremy Davies

Goaltenders:

Devon Levi

Eric Comrie

Devin Cooley

Team Blue Training Camp Lines – 09/21

Forwards:

Jiri Kulich - Casey Mittelstadt - Alex Tuch

JJ Peterka - Dylan Cozens - Isak Rosen

Zemgus Girgensons - Tyson Kozak - Linus Weissbach

Filip Cederqvist - Justin Richards - Olivier Nadeau

Defensemen:

Owen Power - Henri Jokiharju

Mattias Samuelsson - Erik Johnson

Mats Lindgren - Joseph Cecconi

Norwin Panocha - Zach Metsa

Goaltenders:

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dustin Tokarski

2. After putting together a strong showing at the Prospects Challenge this past weekend, Zach Benson had the unique opportunity to skate alongside Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner during his first NHL practice.

The 18-year-old looked calm and confident despite being in a new environment and following practice, coach Don Granato described a situation where Benson received the puck in his skates but remained composed to make the play.

“That situation normally makes a guy anxious. It didn’t make him anxious because he has a feel for the game and skill to match it,” Granato said. “So, I thought he was real good out there today.”

3. Defenseman Connor Clifton made his first appearance in a Sabres jersey since the team acquired him July 1.

He skated on a pair with Dahlin as his new teammates expressed excitement for the opportunity to play with him rather than against him.

“First of all, he’s an unbelievable guy. He’s so humble and he’s such a nice guy,” Dahlin said. “…On the ice, you see his toughness. I remember playing him in Boston; I was scared of him. I hated to play against him. So, that’s going to be great for us and then he makes plays.”

Both Dahlin and Clifton shared how easy it was to play together since they both see the game in a similar way. Granato also seemed to notice.

“Well, I thought Clifton and Dahlin were very impressive out there, and impressive in the sense they both read the play the same, together. One’s moving off the other and they’re showing experience, obviously, to mesh so quickly in practice and that’s what you have based on where we were bringing guys along last season.”

Clifton’s confidence and physicality are expected to help boost a Sabres D corps that struggled at times last year.

“I think that toughness is something that's really going to help us on the back end,” forward Casey Mittelstadt said. “And I think an underrated side of his game is he can break the puck out. He can make plays with the puck. So, I think that toughness is going to be really good for us.”

4. In his short time in Buffalo, veteran defenseman Erik Johnson has also made his presence known.

Captain Kyle Okposo, who grew up playing hockey with Johnson and roomed with him in college, has noticed the impact he has already had on the young group.

“What I know about him now is how good of a pro he is and how dedicated he is to his craft,” Okposo said. “It’s already rubbing off on our guys and he’s just a solid NHL defenseman who’s played 15 years in the league and knows what he’s doing and knows how to be at his best and you can never have too many of those guys around.”

5. Okposo also shared how he has enjoyed watching Granato grow as a coach and is looking forward to continuing that growth with the team over the course of the season.

“He knows how to get the best out of players. He knows when to push, when to back off, how much information to give us,” Okposo said. “He’s only going to get better doing that, and he’s growing just like we are as a team.”

6. Adams provided an injury update ahead of camp.

Matt Savoie is considered week to week with an upper-body injury. Forward Viktor Neuchev and defenseman Vsevolod Komarov missed the first practice of training camp due to minor injuries and are considered day to day.