Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power has made slow-and-steady progress over the past four years but he's yet to become the elite franchise cornerstone the front office expected when it selected him with the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Sabres need Power to finally take that leap toward superstardom if they're going to make a long-awaited return to the playoffs in 2025-26. At least one NHL scout isn't confident the 6-foot-6 blueliner is capable of reaching that next level, though.
"He's got to turn into a guy who defends with a little more conviction, but I don't know if he can do it," the scout told The Athletic.
Buffalo is hoping the acquisition of Michael Kesselring, who arrived in the JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth, can finally provide Power with a stable partner who's capable of taking some of the defensive-zone burden off the University of Michigan product's shoulders.
It's the one thing that's been missing throughout the defender's NHL career.
Buffalo Sabres need Owen Power to reach his maximum potential in order to seriously compete in the Eastern Conference
Skepticism about Power's true upside is understandable. Players with his size who don't play the game with a certain level of physical aggressiveness will always have doubters in the hockey scouting community. It's a tale as old as time.
Yet, in the case of the 22-year-old Canadian, there's a dash of reality in there. The Sabres defenseman has far too often failed to create the necessary leverage to clear out the top of the crease.
Power does make an impact offensively but that area of his game hasn't progressed enough to make up for his lack of defensive improvement. He scored 35 points as a rookie in 2022-23. That number was only up to 40 points last season.
Either his scoring rates must increase significantly — at least into the 55-60 point range — or he needs to become a more impactful defender.
The underlying metrics tell a similar story. Last season, his expected goals for rate (2.42 xGF per 60 minutes) was solid but it was offset by a lackluster expected goals against rate (2.63 xGA per 60), according to Natural Stat Trick.
To Power's credit, he understands it's an area where becoming more dependable is essential.
"Defending is obviously a huge thing," he told Justin Alpert of Sabres.com. "Being a little more confident with your body, defending guys 1-on-1 and closing guys. Same with some net-front stuff. All around, you get more confident, you feel better in your body and you feel like you could do more coming into the season."
All told, the skill set is there for Power to reach a perennial All-Star level, and getting to play alongside Kesselring should be a breath of fresh air after years of having to carry the likes of Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju up and down the ice.
Whether Power will ever truly live up to the expectations of a No. 1 pick is still up for debate, however, and the answer is going to have a major impact on the Sabres moving forward as they attempt to end a 14-year NHL playoff drought.