Buffalo Sabres: Will Owen Power break the Top 20 in 2023-24?

The NHL Network selected Rasmus Dahlin as the #18 defenseman in the league. Will Buffalo Sabres rookie Owen Power follow suit?

Owen Power has a golden opportunity to sneak into the Top 20 for the 2023-24 season. And if the Buffalo Sabres faithful need reassurance that a rookie heading into his second season can do this, look no further than Moritz Seider.

Seider won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2021-22 and put together a sensational rookie season. Something we know Power is also capable of. In those same rankings for 2022-23, Seider snagged the 11th spot, so Power can definitely emulate that this time next year.

And best yet, the rookie defenseman already gave us a small but promising sample size last April when he played in eight games. His three points in eight games put him on pace for a 31-point, 21-goal, and 10-assist season when spread out to 82 contests. Of course, those numbers likely would have evened out, but the point is that Power impressed early.

Buffalo Sabres rookie Owen Power can definitely break into the Top 20 for 2023-24.

We have an entire 2022-23 season to play first, and a lot can happen between now and then. But Power is a special talent who could have fallen flat on his face the minute he saw the NHL ice. Goodness knows, the Sabres have plenty of former early draft picks that did.

But instead, Power adapted to the speed of the game rather quickly. When he was out of position, he corrected himself with remarkable recovery speed. He was also able to adjust his positioning after making a play with the puck.

He had a few more giveaways than we would have liked, with four in eight contests – averaging to 41 in 82 games. But his nine blocks and six takeaways showed he could routinely give the Sabres a chance to regain puck possession and that he disrupted plays in more than just one or two ways.

Power’s possession metrics at even strength also impressed me, with a 56.9% Corsi For and a 57.2% Fenwick For. And the team’s offensive zone starts clocked in at 61.3% with Power on the ice. Again, eight games isn’t much of a sample size, but it does indicate his overall efficacy. Only the 86.8% on-ice save percentage looked concerning.

If Power posts similar numbers in 2022-23, he will approach the Top 20 regarding NHL defensemen. I’d like to see him score more often, but this is something that will occur as he progresses during his first full NHL season.

Article Source: NHL Top Players: Top 20 Defensemen by David Satriano

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)