Five defensemen the Sabres should explore to pair with Owen Power

It was evident throughout the 2022-23 season that rookie defensemen Owen Power is going to be a special player for the Buffalo Sabres. For a 20-year-old, he showed fantastic skating, vision, and defensive IQ. While he made some mistakes (as rookies do), he showed why he was the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

What makes it even more impressive is that Power didn’t have a consistent line partner. It became evident that Buffalo didn’t have a defensemen on their roster with enough skill to be in that spot. It’s time to start looking at who could potentially take that spot next to Power for the 2023-24 season.

Here are five defensemen that I believe could fill that spot well.

Damon Severson

28-year-old Damon Severson could hit the free agency market for the first time in his career this offseason—and Buffalo could be a landing spot. He finished this past season with seven goals and 26 assists for 33 points. His CF% is evidence of how well his regular season went, as he finished with 56.54% (a career high). More career bests were posted, as he put up a 60.68 xG% as well as a 54.55 GF%.

Severson had only 44 hits this past season, but he does all the little things you look for in a defenseman. While he has defensive flaws that show from time-to-time, he makes up for it with smart offensive play. He’s excellent at moving the puck, and that could help a young Owen Power play more freely on offense.

Noah Hanifin

With one year left on his contract, Hanifin could be a trade target for the Sabres. Buffalo would take on $4.95 million for the 2023-24 season but it’s up to Hanifin on whether he’d want to play there because he has a ‘modified no trade clause’. He finished the season with 38 points (seven goals and 31 assists) and a plus/minus of +2 on a Flames team that just missed the playoffs.

He’s a 6’3″, 215 pound two-way defenseman. While he isn’t going to lead your team in hits, Hanifin uses his stick well defensively. The 26-year-old is a fantastic skater that can move the puck well on offense and make any line partner better. He’d be a great pair with Power, but it could be tough to put together the right trade package to get him.

Radko Gudas

My favorite potential target for the Sabres is Radko Gudas. He’s a little bit older than the other names on this list (32 years old), but he would be a perfect fit. Gudas brings physicality to the table as he led the league in hits in 2021-22 with 355. While he didn’t lead the league this past season, he was still second with 312. He has a booming slapshot to go along with his big hits and would instantly boost the Sabres’ toughness. He finished the season with 17 points and a plus/minus of +14.

Gudas would be exactly what Buffalo needs. Many players and teams in the NHL aren’t fond of Gudas, as he has a reputation of laying dirty hits throughout his career, but he has cleaned it up in the past few years. Gudas would add the element of fear to any opponent, which would allow Power and the rest of the team to play more freely.

Vince Dunn

Prior to the 2022-23 season, Vince Dunn’s career high in points was 35. He smashed that mark this season, putting up 64 points. This included career highs in assists (50) and goals (14). His best season as a professional NHLer has helped lead the Seattle Kraken to their first-ever playoff appearance. He can do it all. He had 115 hits this past season and put up a plus/minus of +28.

Dunn has come into his own the past few seasons as he’s solidified his role as a top-four defensemen. At only 26 years old, he has become a smart and reliable player that would be able to grow with Owen Power for years to come.

Matt Dumba

It’s been a weird year for Matt Dumba. He put up his second-lowest point total (14) since entering the league in 2013-14, when he played 13 games. It was the worst shooting percentage of his career at four percent, which led to just four goals. Despite the offensive numbers taking a dip, Dumba was still very good defensively. The on-ice SV% was the highest of his career at 93.31%.

Dumba won’t hesitate to get scrappy. He’s a very tough defender and helps make his teammates better when he’s on the ice. While he can have some bad giveaways, he usually makes up for it some other way. He’s the perfect example of why points and plus/minus don’t tell the whole story.

Summary

When the Sabres drop the puck for the first time next season, they need to have a better partner at defense for Owen Power. It’ll be a big year for many of the players, but mostly the organization as a whole. The time is now to get aggressive and fill some holes in the lineup. We’ll wait and see if the team makes a move.