What if, we trade Owen Power

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Slow but steady is good enough for my rosier eyes. 😃You have to acknowledge that Samuelsson and Power are playing better this year. And there is no question that Timmons was a solid addition. I'm unsure about Byram but open-minded about him. Last night, we finally got a glimpse of Kesserling. I liked how he played last night. In my view, the blueline has improved.

[#freejame]

I’d trade Power for Will Smith 1-1 

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

Slow but steady is good enough for my rosier eyes. 😃You have to acknowledge that Samuelsson and Power are playing better this year. And there is no question that Timmons was a solid addition. I'm unsure about Byram but open-minded about him. Last night, we finally got a glimpse of Kesserling. I liked how he played last night. In my view, the blueline has improved.

Samuelsson is playing better than he has on a long time.   A bright spot actually. 

Power seems about the same to me.   1 goal, 3 points, and -5.   I see no step up in his game or any inkling that he is going to be more physical this season.  

Dahlin after 10 games in has 0 G, 7 pts, and is a -8.   Still logging a lot of minutes and taking a lot of shots - but he is not himself.   They need much more from him if they are going to endure a long season and make the playoffs

Byram is playing well.  

Timmins has been a good add.  Really helping the PK too. 

Kesselring has only played one game.  He looked rusty with his passes,  but he also looked like a smart player that plays with good positioning and with leverage.  

Bryson has not hurt them in his 5 games.   We have seen the best that he has, he is a 7/8 fill in guy.  

Ryan Johnson didn't do much good or bad, but he does not seem to be a Lindy Ruff guy.  

Metsa is a good story and he can hold up for a few games as a call up 8/9 guy.  Like Bryson, too small.  

[LGR4GM]

Something to remember:

 

[JohnC]

46 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Samuelsson is playing better than he has on a long time.   A bright spot actually. 

Power seems about the same to me.   1 goal, 3 points, and -5.   I see no step up in his game or any inkling that he is going to be more physical this season.  

Dahlin after 10 games in has 0 G, 7 pts, and is a -8.   Still logging a lot of minutes and taking a lot of shots - but he is not himself.   They need much more from him if they are going to endure a long season and make the playoffs

Byram is playing well.  

Timmins has been a good add.  Really helping the PK too. 

Kesselring has only played one game.  He looked rusty with his passes,  but he also looked like a smart player that plays with good positioning and with leverage.  

Bryson has not hurt them in his 5 games.   We have seen the best that he has, he is a 7/8 fill in guy.  

Ryan Johnson didn't do much good or bad, but he does not seem to be a Lindy Ruff guy.  

Metsa is a good story and he can hold up for a few games as a call up 8/9 guy.  Like Bryson, too small.  

With respect to Power and him being more appreciably physical, it's not going to happen. That's not his game and never will be. What you want to see from him is better positioning/angles on defense. And from that standpoint, I see some improvement. I also see him being more aggressive on offense. 

The problem that I see with Dahlin is that he is trying to do too much to carry the load. He needs to stop pressing and let the game come to him instead of forcing the action. 

My problem that I have with Ruff is he's too old school. When he negatively labels a player the player, the player gets sidelined. Johnson can be a useful third pairing defenseman. He's wasting a useful asset for a franchise that can't afford to waste any assets. 

Our owner's staffing preferences can be peculiar. He has weighed this franchise down with his inexplicable major hires. 

[triumph_communes]

If you dislike Power for being weak on the puck, Johnson is even worse. He just has for mojo on offense despite not being the physical specimen 

[DarthEbriate]

If they're going to do something, it had better be soon. I'd rather it was for an entering-prime potential 1C, but from a play-style perspective they need someone who has been there and done that. Not this move in particular, but something akin to it:

Add some picks to either side to balance out the remainder:

Power + Krebs to CGY for Kadri + a lottery-protected 1st (2026 1st likely)

 

Calgary gets a building block RHD with long-term control and some F depth with RFA control and some jam (not Kadri jam, but willing to be a nuisance). They also get out of an aging contract.

Buffalo gets a 2C (1C while Norris is out) that makes a spine of Norris-Kadri-McLeod-Kulich/Kozak that can be tough to play against, 200' game, and still provide some offensive punch. Kulich is not a top-6 center yet and they can't wait around for Norris to play (or even finish) a game. It's a bad contract, but overall there are savings that would allow getting Benson, Doan, and Kesselring all extended.

Just would need Kadri to waive his M-NTC to go to a non-immediate contender.

[HumanSlinky39]

On 10/29/2025 at 12:49 PM, #freejame said:

I’d trade Power for Will Smith 1-1 

I'd trade him for a Will Smith CD.

 

 

KIDDING...

 

Kinda.

[ASlugAbove]

He's the one guy that if we traded and he turned into a stud, I wouldnt care. Plays so soft and lackadaisical (thats a big word for me). I don't care if hes moved.

[LGR4GM]

Ik Dahlin is out right now but... what if we traded Power anyways?

[pi2000]

You'd get 10x the return for Dahlin instead of Power.... just sayin'.

So if you're going to start trading guys at the top of the lineup I'd start with Dahlin and Thompson... nobody is off the table at this point.

[BlowLeafsBlow123]

On 10/30/2025 at 11:06 PM, DarthEbriate said:

If they're going to do something, it had better be soon. I'd rather it was for an entering-prime potential 1C, but from a play-style perspective they need someone who has been there and done that. Not this move in particular, but something akin to it:

Add some picks to either side to balance out the remainder:

Power + Krebs to CGY for Kadri + a lottery-protected 1st (2026 1st likely)

 

Calgary gets a building block RHD with long-term control and some F depth with RFA control and some jam (not Kadri jam, but willing to be a nuisance). They also get out of an aging contract.

Buffalo gets a 2C (1C while Norris is out) that makes a spine of Norris-Kadri-McLeod-Kulich/Kozak that can be tough to play against, 200' game, and still provide some offensive punch. Kulich is not a top-6 center yet and they can't wait around for Norris to play (or even finish) a game. It's a bad contract, but overall there are savings that would allow getting Benson, Doan, and Kesselring all extended.

Just would need Kadri to waive his M-NTC to go to a non-immediate contender.

This is just plain irresponsible and terrible. All due respect.

You're severely underrating Power by trading him for a terrible contract. As I stated in the GameDay thread, just look at Byram's analytics and the eye test alone to see who should be moved. The dude can't perform without being attached to Dahlin. All of the proof is in the pudding and they need to act quickly before teams catch on. I could see him being a good fit for a rebuilding Calgary team as their offensive d-man. 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, BlowLeafsBlow123 said:

This is just plain irresponsible and terrible. All due respect.

You're severely underrating Power by trading him for a terrible contract. As I stated in the GameDay thread, just look at Byram's analytics and the eye test alone to see who should be moved. The dude can't perform without being attached to Dahlin. All of the proof is in the pudding and they need to act quickly before teams catch on. I could see him being a good fit for a rebuilding Calgary team as their offensive d-man. 

You're missing the point though. We're not trading Power because he's worse than Byram, which seems to be your theory. You trade Power because he has value and can get you something good. I don't think Byram gets you as much, the time to move on from him was this summer probably. 

[LGR4GM]

Should clarify: your theory being ppl want to trade Power because they don't realize Byram is worse.

[DarthEbriate]

4 hours ago, BlowLeafsBlow123 said:

This is just plain irresponsible and terrible. All due respect.

You're severely underrating Power by trading him for a terrible contract. As I stated in the GameDay thread, just look at Byram's analytics and the eye test alone to see who should be moved. The dude can't perform without being attached to Dahlin. All of the proof is in the pudding and they need to act quickly before teams catch on. I could see him being a good fit for a rebuilding Calgary team as their offensive d-man. 

I didn't say it was a great trade design (and I specifically stated I'd rather it was an up-and-coming 1C). Just following the parameters of:

The title of the thread is a trading Owen Power. The Sabres need a 1C. What teams would consider trading their 1C at this point in the season when everyone is still in contention? (Only tankers, teams with horrible starts, or a bad contract.)

[PerreaultForever]

18 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Should clarify: your theory being ppl want to trade Power because they don't realize Byram is worse.

Said as much when we first got him but whatever. 

If they are thinking this rebuild has failed and there will be a new GM, coach, etc etc. and there's a partial tear down coming, this is the perfect time to trade Power. He hasn't been in the league long enough for other GMs to think he's a bust and most will think "it's Buffalo" and they will believe they can turn him into something better (which maybe they can but who knows). That window of optimism on his ceiling will close soon. 

[BlowLeafsBlow123]

On 11/9/2025 at 10:35 AM, DarthEbriate said:

I didn't say it was a great trade design (and I specifically stated I'd rather it was an up-and-coming 1C). Just following the parameters of:

The title of the thread is a trading Owen Power. The Sabres need a 1C. What teams would consider trading their 1C at this point in the season when everyone is still in contention? (Only tankers, teams with horrible starts, or a bad contract.)

Fair, sorry didn't mean to jump on you. I just think we need to be careful with Power and trading him away too quickly. Like you said, it has to be for a similarly talented player, at a similar point in their career. We absolutely need to balance this roster somehow but I'd prefer to not use Power to do it. I'd much rather see Byram or Tuch (pre-12 million dollar mistake) move out first. 

[BlowLeafsBlow123]

On 11/9/2025 at 8:13 AM, LGR4GM said:

You're missing the point though. We're not trading Power because he's worse than Byram, which seems to be your theory. You trade Power because he has value and can get you something good. I don't think Byram gets you as much, the time to move on from him was this summer probably. 

Clearly Adams is overvaluing Byram. Quite honestly, he's not a very good player and you might be able to squeeze more value out of him due to his draft status and perceived value. If you can get a 2nd line winger for him, you do it all day. We have guys that can fill that third pair role (Ryan Johnson comes to mind). We need to balance the books a bit as we're investing a ton on our defense and will need room for Kesselring's next contract.

[BlowLeafsBlow123]

11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Said as much when we first got him but whatever. 

If they are thinking this rebuild has failed and there will be a new GM, coach, etc etc. and there's a partial tear down coming, this is the perfect time to trade Power. He hasn't been in the league long enough for other GMs to think he's a bust and most will think "it's Buffalo" and they will believe they can turn him into something better (which maybe they can but who knows). That window of optimism on his ceiling will close soon. 

Yes, I don't think they can wait much longer on the Byram decision. Ideally you trade him with a year and a half left on his deal to maximize the return. I wonder if one of the Western Canadian teams would view him as a potential piece. He's still got a solid pedigree but the longer we play him without Dahlin, the more that negative light will shine. 

[PerreaultForever]

52 minutes ago, BlowLeafsBlow123 said:

Yes, I don't think they can wait much longer on the Byram decision. Ideally you trade him with a year and a half left on his deal to maximize the return. I wonder if one of the Western Canadian teams would view him as a potential piece. He's still got a solid pedigree but the longer we play him without Dahlin, the more that negative light will shine. 

Byram's an offense first guy. Power's an offense guy. Dahlin's an offense guy. He's good enough to be okay at D but he should be considered offense first. Kesselring I'm not sure and I'm not sure he's sure either. It's too many offense first guys. Not enough defenders. They are just fortunate Samuelsson has gotten back to what we hoped he'd be and Timmons has been solid. If they weren't, this team might be winless.