Now let’s be honest, did you really think Owen Power was going to be this good in his first full season?
Maybe the travails of fellow #1 Draft pick Rasmus Dahlin under a coach who must not be named might have soured us just a bit on having nice things, but the poise and maturity with which the youngster carried himself on ice was certainly one of the brightest highlights of a season that had plenty of those.
Total Season Stats: 4-31-35 in 79 games played
Age: 20
Contract Status: Signed through 2023-24, $1.85M AAV
A quick look at the main numbers shows that he was fully deserving of a Calder Trophy nomination this season. Power’s 35 points was ninth among rookies (bhind his teammate Jack Quinn’s 37), but he led all defensemen in scoring. The 2021 #1 pick led all rookies in time on ice and it wasn’t even close, going almost two whole minutes a night more than the highly-touted Jake Sanderson. In fact, Power was twentieth among all defensemen in the league, with teammate Rasmus Dahlin in third.
Lest you think Power’s strong showing was only a product of being paired with better players, his on-ice Goals For % of 55.3 was third on the Sabres, and fourth among rookie defensemen and third in shots differential in the same category.
It isn’t all amazing and awesome however with Power, and that’s also fine. As a twenty-year old playing one of the more difficult positions in the game, there’s still lots of room for improvement especially on the defensive end for the youngster. His massive 6’6″ frame and awareness of the puck means there’s little that gets by him, but there is certainly a case to be made that paired with an experienced and rugged stay-at-home d-man will bring out the best in Power.
Especially 5-v-5 there’s still some work to be done for the player, who went through a revolving door of partners last season and the underlying numbers indicated some weaknesses there.
Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams has some big decisions to make regarding his two young stud defensemen. Will Buffalo offer Power a bridge deal much like they did for Dahlin, or go straight for a longer-term deal? The shorter deal for the Sweded seemed necessary at the time as Don Granato tried to undo the damage done bythe hockey avatar of Voldemort. However, Power seems unfettered by the coaching and reports from the Sabres camp indicate that they are looking for term with the player to manage his AAV.
Still, there’s plenty to be excited about for Buffalonians with their defensive corps – Mattias Samuelsson is young and signed up for the long term, Dahlin will be getting a big raise this offseason, Ryan Johnson has signed his entry-level deal and there’s enough other pieces to make up a solid unit.
Season Grade: B+