NHL insider floats Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks blockbuster trade idea

The Buffalo Sabres need a top-six center capable of providing a boost to the team's long-struggling power play. The Anaheim Ducks need a top-four defenseman to round out a group featuring Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period connected those two dots to suggest the Sabres and Ducks could potentially link up on a high-profile trade during the 2026 NHL offseason.

"This is speculative on my part, but with all the chatter in Anaheim of Mason McTavish, you look at McTavish, you look at Power, is there a way to link those two? Does that fit?" Pagnotta said Thursday. "Now, we know the Ducks want a right-shot defenseman. Power is a left shot but he plays both sides. Maybe there's a fit there."

The idea came at the end of a conversation about the 2021 first overall draft pick's future in Buffalo, a topic that's popped up from time to time over the past few years.

"When Dylan Cozens got traded [to the Ottawa Senators] for Josh Norris, there was a lot of chatter that Owen Power wanted the same," Pagnotta said. "I don't think it got to that point [of a trade request] but that's kind of where the talking points were about a year ago."

The NHL insider added the narrative has changed after the Sabres' strong season, with far less buzz about the defenseman possibly wanting out, but a trade hasn't been taken completely off the table because of the club's salary-cap issues and the defender's $8.35 million AAV.

Power, 23, is coming off a 2025-26 season where he posted 29 points, the lowest full-season total of his career, across 81 appearances. His offensive upside will remain capped in Buffalo because Rasmus Dahlin is locked in to top pair and No. 1 power play duties.

McTavish, who's also 23, was selected two picks after Power five years ago. He's recorded 181 points (77 goals and 104 assists) in 304 games for the Ducks but he's yet to take the offensive leap necessary to emerge as a bona fide first-line center.

Buffalo Sabres would be taking a sizable risk in an Owen Power-Mason McTavish swap with the Anaheim Ducks

If the Sabres were going to trade Power — signing fellow blueliner Bowen Byram to a long-term contract extension would be the first prerequisite to such a move — they need to get a true No. 1 center in return. It's really that simple.

Buffalo had hoped Jiri Kulich would grow into that key role, but he missed a vast majority of the campaign because of a blood clot. He's expected to resume his career in 2026-27 but his outlook is a little more clouded after the long layoff.

Tage Thompson, as talented offensively as he is, typically provides more value on the wing because it helps hide his defensive and faceoff deficiencies. Head coach Lindy Ruff has preferred him there, but the club's roster often left little option beyond playing him in the middle.

So, if Power's name popped up as part of a large-scale, franchise-altering deal — perhaps one like was rumored before the NHL trade deadline featuring center Robert Thomas and defenseman Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues — it wouldn't come as a total shock.

Make no mistake, the 6-foot-6 University of Michigan product is extremely talented and may break out in a massive way if he lands with an organization where he'd take on more offensive responsibility, but Buffalo has terrific depth on the blue line, especially if Byram stays for the long haul.

The Sabres could trade from that position of strength to get a top-line center, which could be the missing piece of their Stanley Cup contention puzzle.

Alas, McTavish doesn't appear to reach that threshold, at least to this point in his career.

The 2022 World Juniors MVP has never scored more than 52 points in a season and his underlying numbers don't do him any favors. HockeyStats.com estimates him in the 17th percentile of wins above replacement (WAR) among NHL forwards over the past three seasons.

A lot of that stems from serious struggles in the defensive zone, which raises obvious questions about adding him to a line with Thompson. Putting them on the ice together could create a situation where Buffalo gives up more than they create despite the attacking potential of that duo.

McTavish also wouldn't solve the Sabres' faceoff problems. He won just 48.6 percent of his nearly 800 draws this season, which matches his lackluster career average in that category.

Although that doesn't mean Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen shouldn't have at least some level of interest in the Ducks center, it feels like making Power the prized piece of the return package is not a winning proposition for the Blue and Gold.

If the Sabres can't get a proven upper-echelon center for Power, they're better off keeping him with hope his salary becomes less of an issue as his game evolves and the cap rises in the coming years.