Sabres hope to sign Dahlin, Power to long-term contracts

BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres hope to sign defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to long-term contracts this offseason.

Each has one season remaining on his contract and is eligible to sign a new deal July 1. Dahlin, 23, agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract ($6 million average annual value) on Sept. 22, 2021. Power, 20, signed a three-year, entry-level contract April 8, 2022.
"I believe in when you have core pieces that you feel are going to be a very important part of your franchise, I like to be proactive," general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday. "Both [Rasmus] and Owen are critical pieces of this franchise moving forward and certainly have let their agents know how we feel about them, and we'll work at it.
"These things, they take time. There's a process that you go through. But I couldn't imagine those two not part of this long term."
The Sabres selected Dahlin with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He set NHL career highs in goals (15), assists (58) and points (73) in 78 games this season, his fifth in the League, and could be a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL.
Power was the No. 1 pick by Buffalo in the 2021 NHL Draft. He had 35 points (four goals, 31 assists) in 79 games this season, his first full season in the NHL, and finished 20th in the League in average ice time per game at 23:48 (minimum 10 games). He's expected to be a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL rookie of the year.
The Sabres (42-33-7), who finished one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and have missed the postseason for 12 straight seasons, already have signed members of their young core to long-term contracts. Center Tage Thompson, 25, who was sixth in the League this season with an NHL career-high 47 goals, signed a seven-year, $50 million contract ($7.14 million AAV) on Aug. 30, 2022; defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, 23, signed a seven-year, $30 million contract ($4.29 million AAV) on Oct. 12, 2022; and center Dylan Cozens, 22, agreed to a seven-year, $49.7 million contract ($7.1 million AAV) on Feb. 7.
Adams said Buffalo also is interested in retaining veteran forwards Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons. Each is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Okposo was named captain prior to the season. The 35-year-old had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 75 games this season.
"I can't say enough good things about him as a person, what he's done in the locker room, the way he carries the message from [coach Don Granato] and the coaching staff through to the team," Adams said. "His selflessness, to be able to mentor and bring along players. I see it over and over again, day after day. Players are down, whatever's going on in their life, they're talking to him. And I just think we're lucky to have him.
"So, for sure want to be respectful to him. I want him to go through the process he needs to go through when you come off a grueling season and spend his time with (his wife) Danielle and the kids, and kind of catch his breath. I just told him at the right time we'll talk and we'll see where we go. He's a really good captain for us."
Okposo said Saturday, the day after Buffalo's season ended, that he hadn't thought about his future. But the Minnesota native, who now lives in Buffalo full time, said he can't imagine another hockey home.
"There's nowhere else that I would want to be," he said. "I've put a lot of effort and energy in here and this is where I want to be."
Girgensons, 29, is the longest-tenured Sabres player, having completed his ninth season with them. Buffalo selected him in the first round (No. 14) in the 2012 NHL Draft, and he made his NHL debut as a 19-year-old at the start of the 2013-14 season. Girgensons had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 80 games this season.
"[He's] a quiet leader, goes about his business but cares about his teammates and teammates care about him," Adams said. "He's literally the same every game. There's very little drop-off where [there are] ups and downs with him. … I talked to him after the season and said, 'Take a little time and catch your breath and be in touch and we'll just, we'll talk.' We'll see what happens. It has to make sense for both sides. But in terms of what his value is to this team, it's been great."
Girgensons said he wants to stay with Buffalo.
"With what the team has here and the steps it's taken, I definitely would like to be a part of this," he said. "I mean, as you know, it's business too. So, we'll see. We'll have talks and we'll see where it goes."