The Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Owen Power with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft on Friday night, hopefully adding another significant piece to their latest rebuild.
It is the second time in four years the Sabres have used the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on a defender, previously selecting Rasmus Dahlin during the 2018 draft.
This was not the best year to have the top pick in the draft as there really was not a generational talent available, and the scheduling issues around the various junior and college leagues due to the pandemic has made it difficult to fully evaluate prospects.
Still, Power probably has the best potential of any prospect in this draft due to his combination of skating ability, size, skill, shot and vision.
He is not expected to play in the NHL this season, however, as he plans on returning to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.