Plus/Minus leader on Sabres

[Sabres73]

I know many are dubious to the value of the plus/minus stat, but this isn't about that. Do you know who leads the Sabres without peaking?

 

 

Owen Power at +12.

He's my rookie of the year

 

https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?reportType=season&seasonFrom=20222023&seasonTo=20222023&gameType=2&playerPlayedFor=franchise.19&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists&page=0&pageSize=50 

[dudacek]

43 minutes ago, Sabres73 said:

I know many are dubious to the value of the plus/minus stat, but this isn't about that. Do you know who leads the Sabres without peaking?

 

 

Owen Power at +12.

He's my rookie of the year

 

https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?reportType=season&seasonFrom=20222023&seasonTo=20222023&gameType=2&playerPlayedFor=franchise.19&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists&page=0&pageSize=50 

Leads all rookies in that stat.

And to emphasize that, most of the other guys atop the rookie leaderboard are minus players despite playing far fewer and much easier minutes.

The only other notable rookie who is a double digit plus is Beniers, who, IMO, is Power’s only reasonable competition for the award.

[DarthEbriate]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Leads all rookies in that stat.

And to emphasize that, most of the other guys atop the rookie leaderboard are minus players despite playing far fewer and much easier minutes.

The only other notable rookie who is a double digit plus is Beniers, who, IMO, is Power’s only reasonable competition for the award.

Beniers reclaimed the +/- battle later in the evening.

But this goes back to last season: Power finished a positive last year in his limited games and he'll be a career + player. Dahlin will take a few more seasons to get back to even.

[Turbo44]

10 hours ago, Sabres73 said:

I know many are dubious to the value of the plus/minus stat, but this isn't about that. Do you know who leads the Sabres without peaking?

 

 

Owen Power at +12.

He's my rookie of the year

 

https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?reportType=season&seasonFrom=20222023&seasonTo=20222023&gameType=2&playerPlayedFor=franchise.19&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists&page=0&pageSize=50 

With the ice time he eats up he absolutely is the rookie of the year, though he won’t get it. Currently he is by far the Sabres best all around dman, and probably their best all around player. Granted Dahlin is playing hurt. Winning the lottery for him was an absolute grand slam.

and……he’s 20

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Turbo44

[Marvin]

Dare I ask: given that his growth will not be stunted by XHCRK, does Power eventually become better than Dahlin?

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

Dare I ask: given that his growth will not be stunted by XHCRK, does Power eventually become better than Dahlin?

Different, not better.

Dahlin will have the gaudy stats. My guess is Power is going to be more of a distributor and more of a play stopper in our end.

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

Dare I ask: given that his growth will not be stunted by XHCRK, does Power eventually become better than Dahlin?

We must remember that Dahlin is not a finished project yet, either. He won't reach his peak, particularly defensively, for a few more seasons. And offensively he can pace for 82+ points when healthy.

Power won't get the PP1 time to get the same points opportunity. Power also needs to develop and trust his shot which could take a couple seasons like it did for Dahlin. Offensively (at least on the Sabres) the advantage will remain with Dahlin.

Defensively, Power needs to do 3 things:

1. Get stronger. This is just a matter of how long his body takes to fill out. Today, he can get overmatched in board battles and knocked off his feet. Someday, he won't. Someday he'll shrug off the little guys and outmuscle the big guys as well.

2. Use his reach to deny zone entries and to deflect shots. Top defensemen force an offsides on a rush attempt or casually extend their stick to make a mid-to-long range shot fly 15' over the glass into the netting seemingly 2-3 times per game. Yes, Power already does this to an extent but not with the surety of a veteran and he still sometimes gives too much space for zone entries. But with his smarts, skating, and reach, he could suppress shots at an elite level (and he's already good). (Then, the team just needs to get better winning faceoffs as a whole and the shots against drop nicely.)

3. Increase his ferocity. This is the wildcard. Dahlin was a softer skill player and then something clicked. Now, he wails on Matthews (TOR outdoor game), sets up people to destroy them (SJ game this season), and arguably goes too far and rides players into his own goalie, thereby potentially derailing the season (Comrie)...  But he's a force and when he's on the attack he is the best player on the ice. Can Power learn the dark side -- aggression, attack -- or will he always be a gentle (if high-IQ and positionally excellent) giant?

If Power hits on all three, he could become...

...but still not as fun to watch as Dahlin.

[PerreaultForever]

Power has had a good rookie season, but it's going to be Beniers who wins it. Forwards are always favoured in these things and for a D man to win rookie of the year he has to have big offensive stats as well. Plus minus will never get you a rookie of the year award. 

Power has not disappointed however and it's only the beginning. I don't expect him to peak for 2-3 years still. His future is very bright. 

[sweetlou]

18 hours ago, Marvin said:

Dare I ask: given that his growth will not be stunted by XHCRK, does Power eventually become better than Dahlin?

They are different type of players who will both be good.  Dahlin is like Erik Karlsson while OP will be more like Hedman. 

OP needs to play a little more physical on the boards and in front of the net on defense, and work his shot. 

Dahlin has improved his defense, but still needs to have a little more awareness of who is around him.

So imagine if you had a 25-30 year old Hedman and Karlssonon on the same team.  We have that in Dahlin and OP.

 

[Stoner]

RaKru... The gift that keeps on giving. The bum. Under his tutelage they couldn't even make the playoffs!

[DarthEbriate]

8 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

RaKru... The gift that keeps on giving. The bum. Under his tutelage they couldn't even make the playoffs!

To give credit where credit is due / 
Power is a Sabre because of RaKru.

(And Taylor Hall as the 1st overall cheat code.)