Owen Power hasn’t played like a former No. 1 overall pick in what was his third full season with the Sabres. No, he’s not a bust, so that’s the good news, but you can call him an underachiever whose game can be uninspiring. But still, didn’t that same narrative plague Rasmus Dahlin a few years back?
These days, Dahlin is arguably the team’s star player, so it shouldn’t surprise any of us if Power skates out in Year 4 and puts up his best season yet, before breaking out in Year 5. It seems like a long way off, but time has a funny way of moving fast when a former No. 1 pick shows vast improvement, and that could be the case with Power.
Grade: C-plus - The clear upside is that Power set a career record in points and goals, but he finished the year with his worst plus-minus, and it wasn’t even close. Turnovers and a lack of physical play have also been a problem.
Owen Power still didn’t get it together in 2024-25 despite steps forward
With 40 points and seven goals, Owen Power improved his productivity, but an ugly minus-13 rating did him no favors, nor did his so-so play defensively. Sure, Power got in front of 109 shots, but a player his size needs to start landing more body checks, and a meager 26 this past season was a letdown. For context, Power logged as many takeaways as he did hits.
He also hit a career-low at even strength with a 10.6 on-ice shooting percentage, and his on-ice save percentage dwindled to a meager 87.5. It’s worth pointing out that the Sabres regressed defensively as a team, but Power’s one of those players the Blue and Gold should’ve counted on to step up, and he failed.
While his offensive potential is there, a former first-overall pick needs to come in and play at least a sound, three-zone game. Power has yet to reach those lofty expectations, and heading into the 2025-26 season, getting there should be non-negotiable.
Will Owen Power’s 2025-26 season look any better?
I’m beyond confident that Power will end the 2025-26 season with his first 10-goal, 40-assist season, giving him 50 points on the year. I can see his shooting percentage getting somewhere north of seven percent, and he’ll threaten an on-ice shooting percentage of 11 percent once again at even strength.
But will Power finally get it together defensively? He’s got the physique and the skill to hit like Connor Clifton and play in the offensive zone like Rasmus Dahlin, and it hasn’t happened yet. Power, for whatever reason, has yet to improve defensively, and you can even argue he’s regressed when the Sabres don’t have the puck.
That said, there needs to be more urgency in his game when he’s got the opportunity to end a sequence, either with a punishing blow or forcing an opponent to turn the puck over. Anything less next season is unacceptable.