The Athletic's Top 20 Calder Candidates

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://theathletic.com/3546726/2022/09/08/nhl-calder-trophy-candidates-rankings/

1. Owen Power

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There isn’t a player on this list who is going to play more — or be counted upon more — than Power will in Buffalo this season. We saw it at the tail end of last year with the Sabres, when he averaged 22:05 in his eight games in April (third on the team in ice time during that period). So where an assessment has to be made about opportunity and likelihood of success within it for each of the other players on this list, only the latter must be considered here because he’s going to play. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be successful, either, which is a pretty impressive thing to say about a defenceman who doesn’t turn 20 until the end of November. His play and statistical profile as a sophomore at Michigan signalled immediate success at the NHL level. And maybe more importantly, so did his play against professionals at the men’s world championships (where Team Canada got better the more they played him), the Olympics, and especially down the stretch with the Sabres in those big minutes when he performed well (the Sabres outscored the opposition 9-8, out-chanced them 75-57, and outshot them 87-63 with Power on the ice at five-on-five, and he played to a team-high expected goals for percentage of 56).

If he can continue to drive results, the points he’ll need to be in the Calder conversation will come. The only real question mark is whether he’ll get the PP reps required to go from in-the-conversation to frontrunner-for-the-trophy. In his eight games late last year, the 7:43 he played on the man advantage was well back of the 27:28 played by Rasmus Dahlin and even the 17:57 played by Henri Jokiharju. They’re not going to prioritize him over Dahlin on PP1, but he needs to either be given Jokiharju’s minutes or take them if he’s going to go from the 30-point season I think he can put together in his sleep to the 50-point one that won Moritz Seider the Calder. Still, the combination of his track record, the minutes he’s going to play and his talent, should give Power the preseason pole position in the race.

 

5. Jack Quinn

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Quinn’s ready. I’m confident he’s going to make the Sabres out of camp and stick. But if it’s assumed that Victor Olofsson, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch are going to be three of the four wingers inside the top-six, who will the last be? I think there’s a real chance it’s Quinn, but he’s not the only one with a case and Peyton Krebs showed flashes of being ready for that kind of opportunity last year as well (plus Krebs obviously has a little more NHL experience). Maybe it’s Krebs’ to start, Quinn begins in more of a depth role, and Quinn takes the job as the season progresses. That feels like a realistic scenario. You’ve got to be there almost from start to finish to make it onto Calder ballots though. I think there’s a scenario where Quinn wins the job and holds it, too. But it’s not a sure thing. I think this range is fair, accordingly.

JJP not listed at all.  Not even in the honorable mentions.  

However Lukas Reichel 11th, Rossi 13th, and Jack Drury HM.

[JoeSchmoe]

I have Quinn ahead of Power on my list.

Aside Edit: There needs to be a forum etiquette rule that any paywall links have a warning. I appreciate that key posts of the article were posted, and I should have known because it's the Athletic, but my mind was temporarily elsewhere (on that note, GO BILLS) and I clicked only to be disappointed. 

Edited September 8, 2022 by JoeSchmoe

[Sabres Fan in NS]

If all unfolds as expected it will be Power.

[Doohicksie]

18 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Aside Edit: There needs to be a forum etiquette rule that any paywall links have a warning. I appreciate that key posts of the article were posted, and I should have known because it's the Athletic, but my mind was temporarily elsewhere (on that note, GO BILLS) and I clicked only to be disappointed. 

Nah.  He *did* follow forum etiquette by posting relevant info from the article.  Get over your cheapness.  (I got over my personal cheapness long ago.)

[LGR4GM]

Quinn above Rossi yet again. Power is going to have to fight off McTavish I think. Beniers might be 2nd but he is on a worse team so I think McTavish will have some advantages there. 

[dudacek]

48 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Quinn above Rossi yet again. Power is going to have to fight off McTavish I think. Beniers might be 2nd but he is on a worse team so I think McTavish will have some advantages there. 

Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand gotta help that Seattle offence and Beniers is going to get some big ice time.

 

Going to be an interesting battle between those two

[Stoner]

6 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

If all unfolds as expected it will be Power.

Neat trick.

[msw2112]

There's an excellent chance that Power is the best rookie next season.  That said, he's not a pure offensive defensman.  He generates a fair amount of offense, but is also defensively sound.  He's a great 2-way defenseman.  As such, he may not put up the types of stats that win awards and I think the award will go to a forward or a defensman who may be a lesser player, but have greater offensive stats.  Whether he wins the award or not, based on his play in the limited sample at the end of last season, Power is going to be a very good one and I am very happy they Sabres have him.  Along with Dahlin, the Sabres potentially have two of the top young defensmen in the league.  And we have other good ones too - like Samuelsson.

Edited September 12, 2022 by msw2112