Buffalo Sabres: Respected outlet has interesting take on Owen Power

What to expect from Power in 2023-24

When you’re a rookie, you’re already behind the eight-ball in many ways as you’re getting acclimated to a full, 82-game schedule. Factor in that if you’re Power, you were getting little help with Henri Jokiharju as your usual partner on the second pairing, or Ilya Lyubushkin, plus the occasional Jacob Bryson, among others.

None of the above names are giving you much help, and it’s one reason the Sabres went out and signed Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton. Clifton will likely pair with Power, and he should help remedy what had become a trying situation.

So are Power’s poor analytics in defensive zone entries a cause for concern? As mentioned, after seeing him paired mainly with Jokiharju, I’m giving Power the benefit of the doubt here, and I’m willing to see what he can do with a halfway decent player lined up next to him.

We also need to remember that Power was a rookie whose overall defensive play improved under Granato, regardless of what the analytics say. Granato gave Power more free range as the season wore on, indicating that his defensive play was more up to scratch than the analytics would lead you to believe.

This is one reason why, when it comes to the entire eye-test vs. analytics debate, both have their respective pros and cons. And neither is superior to the other, regardless of what each side wants to believe. At the end of the day, analytics can be misleading, and Power’s case is one potential example, but they can also be beneficial in tracking perhaps not always where a player, but where a team, needs to improve.