3 - Owen Power
I’m still in the “unpopular opinion” category here with Owen Power, and if you ask me, his sophomore season was better than a contingent of fans advertised last year. He finished 2023-24 with two fewer points and two more goals; he was more physical, he blocked 115 shots, and his number of giveaways decreased by 16 - 52 in 2022-23 to just 36 in 2023-24.
While he played in three fewer games in 2023-24 than he did the previous season, Power saw seven fewer goals allowed at even strength, and the Blue and Gold’s on-ice shooting percentage sat at 11.2, which was the best of his career. I’ll concede and say that Power should have seen more of a jump in production, but he didn’t regress.
2 - Bowen Byram
Three goals and nine points across 18 games was a good way to make a first impression following the Casey Mittelstadt trade, and Bowen Byram also looked great in the defensive zone. His hard-hitting style added yet more physicality for the Sabres, and after a full offseason with the team, expect him to make a respectable jump in 2024-25.
Sure, injuries are a concern, and that will be something to look out for this season, but a healthy Byram could easily end the year with between 40 and 50 points. He will log top-four minutes, and there’s a good chance Byram will excel on the first or second pairing.
1 - Rasmus Dahlin
Nobody else would grace the top spot other than the Sabres highest-paid player, and Dahlin could set legendary numbers for the Sabres this season as he leads this young rotation. If the Sabres rediscover what made them such a hot team in 2022-23 - and it could happen with an edgier identity coming to town, career-highs in points and goals are to be expected here.
Dahlin, who spent the previous two seasons as an alternate captain, could also hear his name called to lead the Blue and Gold as a captain this season, but we won’t get too far ahead of ourselves just yet.
(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)