- Jarmo Kekäläinen revealed Owen Power played the back end of the Canadiens series with a grade-3 ankle sprain
- Power did not miss a game in the playoffs, finishing with six assists in 13 postseason appearances
- Read below for the GM’s full quote, Power’s own take on the offseason, and what’s next for Buffalo’s blue line
Owen Power gutted out the Sabres’ second-round loss to Montreal on a busted ankle.
Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen confirmed Wednesday during the team’s exit interviews at KeyBank Center that Power was dealing with a grade-3 ankle sprain late in the series against the Canadiens. That’s the most severe grade of ankle sprain, a full ligament tear that usually costs players weeks.
Power never missed a shift.
The 23-year-old defenseman suited up for all 13 of Buffalo’s playoff games, finishing with six assists and becoming the first Sabres player ever to record an assist in his first four career postseason contests.
Kekäläinen also dropped a handful of other injury notes from his end-of-season session. Tage Thompson hit a wall down the stretch after dealing with nagging stuff dating back to the 4 Nations break, Logan Stanley played through an undisclosed issue, and Sam Carrick was rushed back from a left-arm injury he picked up in the regular season.
Here’s the full presser from Kekäläinen and head coach Lindy Ruff:
Once the GM wrapped up, Power took his turn at the podium. He called the playoff run “the most fun I’ve had in my career” and said the ankle should be cleaned up well before training camp, even if the offseason ramp-up has to be adjusted.
Take a look at his full sit-down:
He’s now played 323 NHL games with 27 goals, 113 assists, and 86 penalty minutes across parts of five seasons. The playoff cameo finally put him on the postseason map after Buffalo snapped a 14-year drought.
Up next for Kekäläinen: $12.9 million in cap space and a long list of internal decisions. He’s already locked up Ruff for two more years, and there’s still Alex Tuch’s free agency, Bowen Byram’s long-term deal, and RFA talks with Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs, and Michael Kesselring left on his plate.
Good news on Power: no surgery talk, just rest.
