Sabres Owen Power and Olen Zellweger Have Been Dominant Together
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a 4-4-1 (nine points) and had their four game point streak snapped on Wednesday night as they fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1.
Over a four‑game stretch from Oct. 12–17, the Sabres were without their captain and best player, Rasmus Dahlin, who has been sidelined with a lower‑body injury. In past seasons, losing Dahlin for any amount of time usually meant the team was in trouble, they wouldn’t just drop games, they wouldn’t even pick up points. This year feels different. Buffalo kept its head above water without him, and a big reason is the emergence of Owen Power, who has started to break out in a major way. His partner, Olen Zellweger, has been just as important, stepping into a bigger role and thriving with the added responsibility.
Power Is Breaking Out
Power was drafted first overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft out of the University of Michigan. Through his first four seasons, he struggled to find consistency, flashes of high‑end offense mixed with stretches where his defensive game wasn’t where it needed to be. But this season, we’re seeing a completely different version of Owen Power. He looks more confident with and without the puck, he’s making the right reads, he’s putting himself in better spots on the ice, and most importantly, he’s been legitimately strong defensively.
Through 10 games, Power has recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) and is a plus‑4. It’s still early, but he’s on pace to blow past his career high of 40 points set in 2024‑25. Nobody should be surprised by the offensive jump, he’s always had dynamic playmaking ability, and he showed it both at Michigan and early in his NHL career. The talent has always been there.
Where the growth really stands out is defensively. For most of his career, he’s had issues with boxing out, using his size in front of the net, and protecting high‑danger areas. This season, it’s been the exact opposite. Every time he’s on the ice, opponents are being pushed to the outside or forced below the goal line. He’s controlling the middle of the ice, winning battles, and making life easier on his goaltenders. And a lot of this production has come with Dahlin out of the lineup.
Without Dahlin, Power has averaged over 27 minutes per game and has recorded one goal and two assists for three points. More importantly, he’s handled every situation, top matchups, heavy defensive minutes, special teams, and hasn’t looked overwhelmed once. He’s showing he can be a true number‑one defenseman in the NHL.
And that leaves the Sabres with a great problem: they might have two number‑one defensemen.
Zellweger Has Been Great Addition
When the Sabres acquired Zellweger in the summer, his role was identified right away: be the team’s fourth defenseman and help replace the absence of Bowen Byram, who had been traded to the Chicago Blackhawks a few days earlier. So far, he’s done more than just fill that spot, he’s exceeded expectations.
Through seven games played, he’s recorded three points (two goals, one assist). He’s been inconsistent defensively at times, but that’s expected for a 22‑year‑old defenseman in just his third full NHL season. What matters is the upside, and Zellweger has a ton of it. His offensive ceiling is legitimately high, and with top defensemen like Dahlin, Power, and Mattias Samuelsson already carrying the heavy minutes, Zellweger doesn’t have to be “the guy.” He can develop at his own pace, learn from veterans, and grow into a bigger role over time.
He never really got a fair shot with the Anaheim Ducks. In his first two seasons, he averaged 18:58 and 16:59 time on ice per game, and he appeared in only three playoff games. The Ducks clearly felt it was time to move on, and the Sabres jumped at the opportunity to acquire him, and it’s already paying off.
Right after the trade, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen wasted no time getting a contract done, signing Zellweger to a three‑year deal worth $3 million per season. We’ll see how it shakes out, but if his development continues on this trajectory, I have a feeling that in two summers he’s going to be in line for a massive contract extension.
Power and Zellweger Will Be a Pair For a Long Time
After this season, Zellweger has two more years left on his current deal and Power has four. I’d put real money on both of them signing long‑term extensions the moment they’re eligible. The organization clearly views them as foundational pieces, and the way they’ve been used already suggests the Sabres want them tied together for the long haul. If that happens, you’re looking at a pairing that could be locked in for the better part of a decade.
What makes the idea so appealing is how naturally they fit. Zellweger brings that high‑end skill, the quick decisions, the ability to turn a routine breakout into a scoring chance. Power can do those things too, but he’s evolving into a true two‑way force, someone who can drive play, kill rushes, and still produce offense at a top‑pair level. It’s almost the same dynamic Buffalo has with Dahlin: elite talent paired with a defenseman who can handle every situation without sacrificing upside.
And the numbers back it up. In just 47 minutes together, Power and Zellweger have posted an expected goals‑for percentage of 71.4%, which ranks third among all defense pairings that have played at least 40 minutes this season. It’s a small sample, sure, but it’s not smoke and mirrors. Even with injuries shuffling the blue line, every shift they’ve played together has looked controlled, confident, and tilted in Buffalo’s favor. If they stay healthy and continue to build chemistry, they could realistically finish the year as one of the league’s most effective pairs.
That’s why I fully expect Power and Zellweger to be a duo for the foreseeable future, the same way Dahlin and Samuelsson have been glued together for the last three or four seasons. The Sabres finally have the kind of defensive structure teams dream about: two long‑term pairs that can anchor the lineup for years.
Statistics gathered by Sean Morran
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