Annual expectations thread 2023/24: #25 Owen Power

[dudacek]

A year ago we wondering what kind of deployment OP would get, as in what kind of sheltering might be necessary. No one had the bingo card marked “no sheltering at all”. Power finished 5th in the entire National Hockey League in even-strength ice time. That’s not just among rookies, that’s among all NHL skaters. As far as rookies go, his ES TOI per game was the highest ever recorded. The only appreciable difference between his production and Mortiz Seider’s Calder winning season a year ago were the points Seider put up on the power play. That and being +19 ahead of the Red Wing darling.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=217120

As good and as calm as Power looked last year, there was no mistaking two things: you could tell he was still learning and that he needed to get stronger. It will be interesting to see what he took away over the summer and how he will apply it next year. This was a player who more or less doubled his production in his 2nd USHL and NCAA seasons.

What do you expect from Power this year?
(Last year’s takes here)

 

[TheAud]

[Zamboni]

I’d like to see Power round out his game a little more. If he stays healthy, I think he could play 78-82 games and grab 35 points. I don’t think he’ll ever have a mean streak like Dahlin has developed on occasion. But if he can squeeze the opposition to the walls and force turnovers, and perfect the art of clearing the puck away after the 1st save, that would be awesome.

[nfreeman]

All 3 outcomes are eminently possible but I chose the best case.

Great intro for this one and series of threads generally, @dudacek.  I really like the info about him doubling his production in his prior 2nd seasons.

Power stepping up a level could, low-key, be a major factor for the team this year.

[pi2000]

He's going to be a perennial All-Star.

[French Collection]

If Dahlin wasn’t on the team, Power would run PP1 and put up way more points.

He will improve his numbers and help make PP2 a threat. 50 points is possible.

[mjd1001]

I don't think i'm there yet with him as being as good as others think, at least not yet.

Hes good, he shows signs of being great, but I think hes going to still need a couple of years to elevate to the level of a top 50 D-man in the league.

Specific expectations? Offensive production numbers slightly better than last year, but more importantly, less tentative with the puck when playing elite competition. Last year I thought physically he had the tools, but when playing against the better teams, he was very quick to pass the puck away to someone else... Or just to chip it up on the boards when a better Play may have presented itself with a slight bit more patience.

[dudacek]

48 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

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Specific expectations? Offensive production numbers slightly better than last year, but more importantly, less tentative with the puck when playing elite competition. Last year I thought physically he had the tools, but when playing against the better teams, he was very quick to pass the puck away to someone else... Or just to chip it up on the boards when a better Play may have presented itself with a slight bit more patience.

I thought being patient with the puck was/is Power’s greatest strength.

When he has the puck, he likes to slow the game down, but to me it’s always with purpose.

The only area of his game I see any sort of tentativeness is in his one-on-one defence, where he needs to make things harder on opponents by taking time and space away with speed and authority.

[bob_sauve28]

He's just awesome! That's all 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

By the end of this coming season Power will be a top pair level D on any team in the NHL.

He will be the Sabres #2 D and play #3 - top of the 2nd pairing for the next 10+ years.

[Night Train]

Upside and hopefully puts in the work. He could be a keeper. Should be offered a bridge deal soon. 

[mjd1001]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I thought being patient with the puck was/is Power’s greatest strength.

When he has the puck, he likes to slow the game down, but to me it’s always with purpose.

The only area of his game I see any sort of tentativeness is in his one-on-one defence, where he needs to make things harder on opponents by taking time and space away with speed and authority.

Maybe that is his overall strength, and possibly why it was so apparent when he deviated from it.  In games I watched against Edmonton, Toronto, and Boston that I remember, he wasn't as patient as usual. As I said in my original post, he seemed to get rid of the puck quickly and often blindly throw it around the boards in ways he didn't do in games against 'lesser' teams.

[dudacek]

Power strikes me as one of those seemingly chill personalities who is constantly processing and actually 8 steps ahead of everyone else under the surface. He’s someone who lives and breathes hockey.

And he has Nik Lidstrom’s IQ in Larry Robinson’s  body.

I will be very surprised if he doesn't take a big step this year.

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Power strikes me as one of those seemingly chill personalities who is constantly processing and actually 8 steps ahead of everyone else under the surface. He’s someone who lives and breathes hockey.

And he has Nik Lidstrom’s IQ in Larry Robinson’s  body.

I will be very surprised if he doesn't take a big step this year.

I always wish for him to become more like Pronger but that is not his game.

Larry Robinson is an interesting choice. Just a dominating presence that could play D any way you wanted.

If he has Lidstrom’s IQ I can’t see how the Sabres D cannot be among the the top of the league for the next decade.

[Drag0nDan]

I'd like him to shoot more.  He's the QB on PP2, let em rip for tips.  Find that high slot and just blast them.  Sometimes he's just always looking to pass and it ends up slowing down the tempo a little bit, play faster, get the pucks on the net, and have forwards get to dirty areas etc.  

Edited September 7, 2023 by Drag0nDan

[Norcal]

Keep truckin

Score 10 or more

Use his size to box out opponents more