BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power are two cornerstone-type defensemen for the Buffalo Sabres — the kind of players the Sabres, or any team for that matter, would love to lock up long-term.
Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams is working on just that, with Dahlin and Power each entering the final year of their current respective deal.
There's mutual interest from both the team and player sides to get extensions done.
"This process started back around the combine, before the draft," Adams said Thursday before the team hit the ice to start training camp. "The key takeaways are that I've explained to their camps, and them individually, how important they are to this franchise, how we feel about them, and we want them here long-term."
"They've clearly indicated back to me and to us that this is where they want to be and they believe in this team and they believe in the direction we're headed," Adams said.
It makes sense that signing those two would be a priority.
Dahlin, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, is coming off a season in which he finished eighth in the Norris Trophy voting, awarded to the NHL's top defenseman, totaling 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) in 78 games. The 73 points were tied for fifth-most among all defensemen in the league.
Power, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, totaled 35 points (4 points, 31 assists) while playing 79 games in his first full season in the NHL. He finished third in Calder Memorial Trophy voting, which goes the league's Rookie of the Year.
Dahlin took the podium after Thursday's practice session, and expressed his feelings on his contract status.
"I have one more year on my contract, and I'm not really worried about anything," Dahlin said. "I love this city. I love the team. I love everything, so I'm not worried."
While there's no clear update according to Adams, he says talks have ramped up as the season approaches.
"So, throughout the summer, I've had, I would say characterize as very positive conversations, productive conversations. Over the last week, I'd say with both, talks have been more intense, more frequent. Even as recent as last night, I was on the phone with both of their agents for a long time late last night."
However, there is no pressure to get these contracts done before the start of the regular season, with Adams mentioning Dylan Cozens' extension that happened in February as an example of a deal getting done after the start of the season.
"These are not easy to get done," Adams said. "They're critically important for both sides, and we need to ensure that they're right. They need to be right for both sides."
And while negotiations continue, Dahlin says his focus will remain on the ice.
"I can only control what I can control," Dahlin said. "That's get ready for this season. Get my body right. Get my mind right. That's not up to me. I let them do the thing and I can just control what I can control."
At the end of the day, there's optimism that two important pieces of the Sabres' long-term success will end up signing extensions to stay in Buffalo.
"We're going to keep working at it," Adams said. "I feel like we're in a good place."