Owen Power Week to Week with Injury

[Weave]

13 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I do agree with that, players' personalities don't drastically change. Power is very unlikely to ever be a physical presence but I don't really see that as a detriment as long as he grows up in to a solid skating defenseman. Not all of the defense have to have a sharp edge to them. 

He had NO edge.  He actively avoids contact.  That’s a problem.

[thewookie1]

Just now, Weave said:

He had NO edge.  He actively avoids contact.  That’s a problem.

Housley had no edge either. There are defenseman out there with little to no edge. They are rarer than forwards but they do exist. 

I do think once he gets older he'll be slightly more "gritty" but I doubt he'll ever be considered a physical player. Quinn Hughes would fit this mold rather well and Makar is only slightly more mean spirited.

[French Collection]

29 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Housley had no edge either. There are defenseman out there with little to no edge. They are rarer than forwards but they do exist. 

I do think once he gets older he'll be slightly more "gritty" but I doubt he'll ever be considered a physical player. Quinn Hughes would fit this mold rather well and Makar is only slightly more mean spirited.

At least they bring offense to the table.

I think Power will be a two way force in a few years. I don’t think he will put up elite numbers being behind Dahlin but if he can shut players down with his reach, IQ and using his body as a shield he could be effective.

[TheAud]

57 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Housley had no edge either. There are defenseman out there with little to no edge. They are rarer than forwards but they do exist. 

I do think once he gets older he'll be slightly more "gritty" but I doubt he'll ever be considered a physical player. Quinn Hughes would fit this mold rather well and Makar is only slightly more mean spirited.

Makar hits more than Power however Makar skates (almost) like McDavid and Power skates more like Larry Playfair. 

[PASabreFan]

On 2/13/2024 at 3:38 PM, SwampD said:

So he's 23.

And almost a 6 year vet.

Why not be precise if that is what you are arguing for?

NS was playing with numbers to make his point.

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

He had NO edge.  He actively avoids contact.  That’s a problem.

I wouldn't have much of a problem is he avoided contact BUT he was positionally sound, he used his size/reach to close off lanes in his zone, he was able to come away with loose pucks, AND he made quick decisons getting the puck out of the zone.  The issue is right now he's not the greatest at any of those things.

[SwampD]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

Why not be precise if that is what you are arguing for?

NS was playing with numbers to make his point.

Either way, the point is still made.

He'll be 23 until the second to last game of this season, and this is his 5th season. Still crazy.

And you were both precise on one and vague on the other. 😂

[Weave]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

Housley had no edge either. There are defenseman out there with little to no edge. They are rarer than forwards but they do exist. 

I do think once he gets older he'll be slightly more "gritty" but I doubt he'll ever be considered a physical player. Quinn Hughes would fit this mold rather well and Makar is only slightly more mean spirited.

Check Housley’s stat lines at the same age.  He was a HOF caliber skater and an offensive force.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

15 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Why not be precise if that is what you are arguing for?

NS was playing with numbers to make his point.

I'm a CPA.  I play with numbers all day.  Sometimes you have to *manipulate* them a tad to make your point more goodly.

15 hours ago, SwampD said:

Either way, the point is still made.

He'll be 23 until the second to last game of this season, and this is his 5th season. Still crazy.

And you were both precise on one and vague on the other. 😂

That's what she said.

Edited February 15 by Sabres Fan in NS

[FrenchConnection44]

On 2/13/2024 at 8:03 AM, Doohickie said:

Not necessarily.  If a player's head is screwed on right and he's playing better positional hockey, skating around like a chicken with his head cut off is unnecessary.  I bet Nick Lidstrom rarely broke 20; he simply didn't need to.

Certainly ‘skating around like a chicken with his head cut off’ is not a great thing but that’s not necessarily a good skater anyway. Or one that will flash speed when necessary. But I understand your point. Of course Lidstrom is one of the greatest to ever lace them up. Still it somewhat depends on the offensive style and team discipline and how much a defensive player rushes the other team’s net and needs to scramble back. 
 

Ultimately it is an eye test for skating quality. Especially in the defensive zone and mid ice - and fending off attackers consistently which requires one to be a strong skater with great balance and base power and to have put one self in position (which also is partly skating though not entirely). Which needs serious attention and development in Power’s game, imo. 

[CallawaySabres]

Can someone let me know why Owen Power was listed as the #1 prospect in his draft? I see nothing, I mean nothing special about this guy.

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

Can someone let me know why Owen Power was listed as the #1 prospect in his draft? I see nothing, I mean nothing special about this guy.

He was tall.

I was buried by this board for saying I don't think Power should be the consensus #1 pick in that draft. He wasn't even my #1 defender in that draft. Still, a long way to go before we can draw conclusions. 

[Pimlach]

Wow.  The Power pile-on continues.  

He is 21 years old and playing big minutes in a tough position that most that age could not handle. 

Blame Adams for drafting him if you don't like him. 

Blame Adams for signing him to an $8.35M seven year contract after one season.  

I think he will come around.  

 

[JohnC]

15 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Wow.  The Power pile-on continues.  

He is 21 years old and playing big minutes in a tough position that most that age could not handle. 

Blame Adams for drafting him if you don't like him. 

Blame Adams for signing him to an $8.35M seven year contract after one season.  

I think he will come around.  

 

After watching him, I am more than satisfied that we took him with our first pick in that draft year. I think he is going to be a superb first or second pair defender. I think some of the negativity directed towards him is associated with his style of play. He's certainly not a banger that many of his critics prefer. But that doesn't mean that he won't be a high quality first or second pair defender. Apparently, what I'm seeing is dramatically different from the anti-faction is seeing. Not only do I see him as a good player now, but I also see a lot of untapped potential that will be realized in the not-too-distant future. For me, he's one of the young players I'm really excited about. (Quinn also was in that same high-end potential category for me.)

[JoeSchmoe]

The frustration with Power is he plays like he wants to be a Makar / Hughes style defenseman but he doesn't have the skill set.

He does however have the god given gift of size- which if he CHOOSES to use it, could make him the #1 OA we drafted him to be.

The problem is, as easy as it may seem to be able to flip a switch and be a 6'5" 220lb body moving D-man, he instead ends up hugging JT Miller's leg in one of the most disgraceful fight any Sabres has ever had.

[inkman]

22 hours ago, Weave said:

He had NO edge.  He actively avoids contact.  That’s a problem.

Should change the thread title to Weak, too Weak amiright? 

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Certainly ‘skating around like a chicken with his head cut off’ is not a great thing but that’s not necessarily a good skater anyway. Or one that will flash speed when necessary. But I understand your point. Of course Lidstrom is one of the greatest to ever lace them up. Still it somewhat depends on the offensive style and team discipline and how much a defensive player rushes the other team’s net and needs to scramble back. 
 

Ultimately it is an eye test for skating quality. Especially in the defensive zone and mid ice - and fending off attackers consistently which requires one to be a strong skater with great balance and base power and to have put one self in position (which also is partly skating though not entirely). Which needs serious attention and development in Power’s game, imo. 

I will say this:  I've noticed both Clifton and Bryson being flat out beat by an opposing forward in one-on-ones, but both tend pursue just enough to get the forward out away from the slot and to the boards.  Even thought the opponent gets past them, they both seem to get just enough of them to disrupt and delay until help can arrive.  The other night it worked because the Sabres forwards were actively skating hard to get back in the play and not coasting back.  I don't think either one of those guys is particularly fleet of foot; it's more about using the speed you have effectively. 

Sometimes I see power skating back in defensive coverage and everything looks under control and then suddenly the forward finds another gear and leaves Owen behind, apparently surprised by the speed of the NHL.  He may not get faster, but he needs to work on his recognition of that situation, and know that the other player is going to try to blow by him and either direct him to the outside, get a good piece of him, or disrupt the puck enough to throw him off.  I think waving a stick at the puck should be the last resort; better to play sound positionally and play the body.

[Weave]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

Should change the thread title to Weak, too Weak amiright? 

Funny stuff.

 

I don’t want to label him as weak, or lazy, or afraid, or whatever.  I’m not interested in making those kind of judgements.  But I can make a judgement on the plays he makes, or doesn’t make.  And his avoidance of contact is just too damned obvious to ignore.  He doesn’t need to be on a Jacob Trouba trajectory.  He doesn’t even need to be on a Connor Clifton trajectory.  But jeez, Louise, if you are going to have Phil Housley level of contact in your game, you had better be bringing something else in spades.  Hopefully that something else starts showing up with some consistency.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Funny stuff.

 

I don’t want to label him as weak, or lazy, or afraid, or whatever.  I’m not interested in making those kind of judgements.  But I can make a judgement on the plays he makes, or doesn’t make.  And his avoidance of contact is just too damned obvious to ignore.  He doesn’t need to be on a Jacob Trouba trajectory.  He doesn’t even need to be on a Connor Clifton trajectory.  But jeez, Louise, if you are going to have Phil Housley level of contact in your game, you had better be bringing something else in spades.  Hopefully that something else starts showing up with some consistency.

His skating with the puck, zone exits and zone entires are among the best on the team.  Like you say nothing that splashes.  He’s generally good in the o zone down low and around the net. But think that’s where we’ll see the most improvement.  Not sure if he’s ever going to be physical.  If he does, he’ll immediately be a fan favorite.  

[Weave]

29 minutes ago, inkman said:

His skating with the puck, zone exits and zone entires are among the best on the team.  Like you say nothing that splashes.  He’s generally good in the o zone down low and around the net. But think that’s where we’ll see the most improvement.  Not sure if he’s ever going to be physical.  If he does, he’ll immediately be a fan favorite.  

I am sure my bias is because of where he is drafted, but plain vanilla competence just seems underwhelming given we had to win a lottery to get him.