The Buffalo Sabres have three players who can count on themselves to stick around after they inevitably sign their respective extensions.
This time last season, the Buffalo Sabres were busy constructing what has since become a solid foundation. They already had Jeff Skinner signed through 2026-27, and Alex Tuch through 2025-26.
But if the Blue and Gold wanted sustained success, they needed to add more pieces to the growing puzzle. This past offseason, Tage Thompson signed through 2029-30, while Mattias Samuelsson agreed to stick around for a similar lengh of time. During the season, Dylan Cozens signed his own respective extension, and he’s also locked in until 2029-30.
Now that the 2022-23 season is over, the Sabres have a few more players set to become eligible to sign long-term. Actually, more than a few, per Cap Friendly, 11 players to be exact. But there are three who have either proven themselves worthy to sign an extension either this offseason, or are at least going to garner a serious look sometime after the puck drops in October.
Three Buffalo Sabres who will sign contract extensions in 2023-24
1 – Rasmus Dahlin, D
One of the best defensemen in the NHL, Rasmus Dahlin finished 2022-23 with 73 points, 20 more than his previous career high of 53. He also enjoyed career highs in goals scored with 15, and assists, with 58.
A clear Norris Trophy candidate, look for Dahlin to receive an extension sometime before the 2023-24 season is underway. It would be shocking for general manager Kevyn Adams to let contract talks drag into the regular season.
2 – Owen Power, D
In 79 games, Owen Power produced 35 points, and he averaged a remarkable 23:48 of ice time, showing that he had the trust of Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato and the rest of the staff. While Dahlin’s season made him a viable candidate to win the Norris, you can say the same regarding Power for the Calder, and Kevyn Adams will reward the then-rookie.
3 – Casey Mittelstadt, F
The same people who scoffed at Tage Thompson receiving his contract extension last year will likely scoff at Casey Mittelstadt getting his either shortly before or during the 2023-24 season. Those people are no longer talking, and Mittelstadt showed he more than deserves a look after logging 59 points, 15 goals, 44 assists, and an astounding 50 takeaways.
Mittelstadt didn’t just rack up the points; he created plenty of scoring chances last season. Once the Buffalo Sabres lock in Dahlin and Power, Mittelstadt will be next in line.
Source: 6 questions for Sabres, Kevyn Adams this offseason: Who’s in net? Victor Olofsson’s future? by Matthew Fairburn
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, contract information provided by Cap Friendly)