Everything's been coming up roses for the Buffalo Sabres over the past few months. They've won 21 of their past 27 games to rapidly climb the NHL standings and several of their prized prospects have accelerated their development toward donning a Blue and Gold jersey.
Perhaps nothing that's happened since early December has been more important than defenseman Owen Power starting to find his game after a rough start to the 2025-26 season, though.
Power's defensive play, a longstanding concern since he was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, has improved immensely and he's been driving play consistently at 5-on-5, though his point total remains a bit lower than expected.
An NHL scout told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald the Sabres front office should be excited about the 23-year-old blueliner's trajectory.
"He seems to have more emotion in his overall game," the unnamed scout said. "I believe this helps his intensity in defending as well. He is maturing and definitely has all the tools in his toolbox to be a dominant player at the NHL level if (this) trend continues."
Power has recorded a modest 17 points (four goals and 13 assists) in 55 games, but he leads Buffalo's full-time defensemen in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at even strength with a 51.4% mark, according to Natural Stat Trick.
For his part, the 6-foot-6 Canadian is happy with his recent play.
"I definitely think it's the best hockey I've played," Power told Hoppe. "You look at the numbers, it probably doesn't say that. But being out there, the feel I have, I feel like I'm playing better than I have in years prior. And when you're winning, everyone looks a lot better."
His uptick in performance has come at an ideal time for Buffalo, as head coach Lindy Ruff has been forced to lean heavily on his top four defenders — Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram — because of injuries and ineffectiveness from depth defensemen.
Owen Power is finally establishing himself as a key piece of the Buffalo Sabres' future
Tough decisions are on the horizon for the Sabres, especially if they want to re-sign winger Alex Tuch, who's seeking a long-term contract extension worth in the neighborhood of $10.5 million annually.
Previously, it seemed like trading Power, who's under contract through the 2030-31 campaign at $8.35 million, would be one of the options considered in order to clear some salary-cap space.
Although it would have undoubtedly been a move that carried some risk, Buffalo won't be able to keep everybody, so it's about figuring out the path that'll least impact the roster. It's a problem partially created by next season's $6.4 million dead-cap hit for the Jeff Skinner buyout a few years ago.
Now, it feels like moving Power should be taken off the table barring a truly monster offer general manager Jarmo Kekalainen couldn't refuse.
Yes, fans would like to see more point production from the University of Michigan product, but his play in the defensive zone is light-years ahead of previous seasons.
Power is never going to become an overly physical defenseman with a bunch of hits despite his large frame, but he's started to leverage his size a lot better in front of the net and he's moving his feet far more efficiently to put himself in the right spot defensively.
The 2023 NHL All-Rookie Team selected confirmed it's an area he's worked on this year.
"I definitely feel more confident," Power told Hoppe. "I think I'm using my feet a lot better (than) what I have, and with that, I think my defending comes a lot easier when I'm able to use my feet defending rather than just kind of using my stick. So, I think that's kind of been a big thing. I've been able to close guys quicker and have tighter gaps. When you do that, the game's a lot easier."
Ultimately, keeping Power in the fold does make the math equation for next season more difficult, and it could bring an end to Tuch's time in Buffalo barring a reduction in his asking price.
Trading the defenseman, who may finally be coming into his own in his fifth NHL season, could come back to haunt the Sabres as a franchise-altering mistake, though.
It appears Kekalainen is going to remain relatively conservative heading toward the 2026 trade deadline, which is scheduled for March 6, and it's hard to blame him given how well the Blue and Gold have played to put themselves in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
If that's indeed the case, however, the Sabres GM will have a lot of work queued up for the summer to make sure the club's success is sustainable for next season and beyond.