The Buffalo Sabres are in contract discussions with a pair of former first overall picks, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The Sabres are trying to work out extensions with franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as well as Owen Power, who was a workhorse in his rookie season. Both players are eligible for to sign contract extensions on July 1 and have expressed interest in inking long-term with the Sabres. Lysowski acknowledges that the Sabres don’t have any rush to sign either to an extension as they both still have a year left on their current deals. But if they were to get the new contracts done on July 1, it would give the Sabres some cost certainty as they head into free agency at what is a critical point in their rebuild.
Dahlin will be looking for a long-term contract and could get something in the range of $9M to $10M on a long-term deal. The Swedish defender is coming off a season in which he put up 15 goals and 58 assists in 78 games while playing almost 26 minutes a night. For Power, he could sign long-term but may elect to sign a bridge deal in the hopes of maximizing his earnings when he is more established and the salary cap has increased. In his rookie season, he played almost 24 minutes a night and had four goals and 31 assists in 79 games.
In other evening notes:
- The Charlotte Checkers have announced that they have re-signed right winger Riley Bezeau to a two-year AHL contract. Bezeau spent this past season in the Queen City putting up five goals and three assists in 51 AHL games and finishing second on the team with 84PIM. The 21-year-old was previously an assistant captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs team that captured the Memorial Cup in 2021-22 in a season that saw him post 11 goals and 16 assists in 56 games.
- The USHL announced that Glenn Hefferan has been selected as the 11th president and commissioner in league history. Heffernan will take over on July 1 and is familiar with USA hockey having been a board and committee member for several years in various capacities as well as a member of the USA Hockey Executive Committee since June 2021. Back in 2012, Heffernan was awarded the Dr. John J. McMullen Award for service to New Jersey Amateur Hockey, an award he was given by the New Jersey Devils.
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