Expect the Buffalo Sabres to try and sign their two top defensemen this summer and well ahead of crunch time when the organization will be pressured to get a deal done. While speaking with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on his podcast Frankly Speaking, GM Kevyn Adams said that there’s time, but he foresees a scenario where the Sabres get proactive with those two contracts, much like they did with other future stars on the team.
Adams is known as a GM who likes to lock his guys up early. He signed Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson to similar long-term deals and gave good money to Mattias Samuelsson, all with the expectation that these players would grow into value deals for the organization. So far, his bets have been bang on as Thompson exploded offensively this season with 47 goals and 94 points, while Cozens took a huge step, potting 31 goals and 68 points. Power and Dahlin are already positioning the Sabres to boast one of the better blue-line tandems in the NHL, and considering they are just 20 and 23 years old respectively, it would make sense to get them on deals that stay affordable as the players grow into NHL superstars.
The Sabres’ plan seems to be to lock in their core guys to team-friendly deals and get ahead of the curve. Both Power and Dahlin have one more season on their current deals, so Adams can start negotiating with them on July 1st when it comes to extensions. That will likely be his priority, as it will be to secure the future of the team’s goaltending position. Right now they have Devon Levi making waves, but it’s not clear if the club will ride with two inexperienced netminders or try to sign a veteran in the short term as the team is expected to start competing for the playoffs.
There’s no reason to believe that either Dahlin or Power would like to use any leverage as RFAs to work their way out of Buffalo, but if the Sabres can get them locked up, the team becomes a lot more attractive a destination for UFAs and other players who see the Sabres as a team of the future.
Next: Sharks GM “Ready to Listen Again” on a Karlsson Deal
Pingback: Reynolds' Group Submitting Bid of $1 Billion to Purchase Senators