Power healthy and stronger

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

His issue is confidence imo. 

I think this is correct, if I'm following you.

I think Power will eventually be adequately physical as a d-man. But it's going to take some time (or has taken some time). I think he just needs to feel more like a man among men out there.

2 minutes ago, French Collection said:

His physical contact has been mainly to turn his back on opponents near the boards and shield the puck, absorbing hits and shoves. A little more assertiveness will help him win more battles. His size and reach alone should mean he wins the majority of battles but wanting the puck more than your opponent is an intangible thing that can tilt a few battles.

Once again, I am not asking for Pronger like snarl, just 10% more Power output.

Pronger was mean as hell.

[JohnC]

I don't understand the insistence of so many people for a player to play a game he is not suited for, and never will be. It's inarguable that Power needs to be more physical and responsible in the defensive zone. But he's not going to do that by knocking players on their derrieres. He's going to improve that aspect of his game with better positioning. Those who want to see him play like a gorilla and physically batter the players he is covering are going to be disappointed because it's not going to happen. That's not his makeup and that is not a style of play he is suited for. 

Assuming that Kesserling will be his partner (and maybe periodically Timmons) it should allow him to better accentuate his game which is skating and moving the puck out of the zone. There was a reason why he was the first pick in his draft year. That lofty draft position doesn't automatically make him a star but it is evident to me that he is going to be a very good player for us and eventually one of the better defensemen in the league. 

A side note: Dahlin, Byrum, Power, Kesserling, Timmons and Samuelsson seem to be a good group of talent. I expect a lot of our offense will be generated by the backside. The additions of Kesserling and Timmons should boost the unit. 

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I don't understand the insistence of so many people for a player to play a game he is not suited for, and never will be. It's inarguable that Power needs to be more physical and responsible in the defensive zone. But he's not going to do that by knocking players on their derrieres. He's going to improve that aspect of his game with better positioning. Those who want to see him play like a gorilla and physically batter the players he is covering are going to be disappointed because it's not going to happen. That's not his makeup and that is not a style of play he is suited for. 

Assuming that Kesserling will be his partner (and maybe periodically Timmons) it should allow him to better accentuate his game which is skating and moving the puck out of the zone. There was a reason why he was the first pick in his draft year. That lofty draft position doesn't automatically make him a star but it is evident to me that he is going to be a very good player for us and eventually one of the better defensemen in the league. 

A side note: Dahlin, Byrum, Power, Kesserling, Timmons and Samuelsson seem to be a good group of talent. I expect a lot of our offense will be generated by the backside. The additions of Kesserling and Timmons should boost the unit. 

He was the first pick in the draft because covid, awful draft, and nhl teams are stupid. Anyone tall who can skates jumps up draft boards.

[That Aud Smell]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

He was the first pick in the draft because covid, awful draft, and nhl teams are stupid. Anyone tall who can skates jumps up draft boards.

has someone hacked this account? the vibe seems different.

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

He was the first pick in the draft because covid, awful draft, and nhl teams are stupid. Anyone tall who can skates jumps up draft boards.

He was a worthy first person pick in that class. That's not to say that another player wouldn't have been a worthy pick for another team if they were making the pick. There is a difference between a tall player who can skate moving up the draft boards and a tall player who can skate being the first pick. With any player with that type of physical stature it normally takes more time to physically mature and reach a higher level. Tage is an example of that. Others can have their opinion on how Power ends up as a player. I'm in the column that very soon he will be an anchor defenseman for us. 

[LGR4GM]

18 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

has someone hacked this account? the vibe seems different.

I didn't even put power top 5 in my 2021 rankings. 

[LGR4GM]

18 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He was a worthy first person pick in that class. That's not to say that another player wouldn't have been a worthy pick for another team if they were making the pick. There is a difference between a tall player who can skate moving up the draft boards and a tall player who can skate being the first pick. With any player with that type of physical stature it normally takes more time to physically mature and reach a higher level. Tage is an example of that. Others can have their opinion on how Power ends up as a player. I'm in the column that very soon he will be an anchor defenseman for us. 

I think Power can be a good defender in the NHL, but I'm not convinced plays the game the way I want. Not sure if that distinction makes sense but I'm not saying he needs to run ppl or hit everything. He plays passive, which was my initial impression of Mrtka until I got to see more of him. Power let's players come into his orbit, he doesn't manipulate much defensively. There's no, "attack on defense" and he's basically the opposite of Benson who very much attacks opposing players. 

On Mrtka, I've seen more and more of him attacking in the D zone. He shuts plays down by his own will as opposite which is sitting in your lane waiting for the forward to come into the space you want to defend. 

[That Aud Smell]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I didn't even put power top 5 in my 2021 rankings. 

lol - ahhite. it's more the tone than the substance that i was talking about. but maybe i'm just refamiliarizing myself with the board.

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

lol - ahhite. it's more the tone than the substance that i was talking about. but maybe i'm just refamiliarizing myself with the board.

What part of my tone?

There's a myth around here that I just want analytics darling who figure skate and its never been accurate. 

[That Aud Smell]

35 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

What part of my tone?

There's a myth around here that I just want analytics darling who figure skate and its never been accurate. 

Like I said initially, my initial amusement was "whoa Liger sorta be Inking."

I don't do a good job - at all - of tracking regular posters' big picture views on the Sabres, hockey.

I can recall bits and pieces, here and there. But I almost never have a complete picture of any regular poster at any given time.

I gather that your crease-clearing-gorilla take on Power (my words, not yours) was in-line with things you've said in the past. It just struck me as a departure (in tone).

39 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

There's a myth around here 

classic joke

 

[inkman]

17 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Now you're arguing semantics. 

Power has never NEVER played heavy or physical. 

 

15 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

That’s correct, not in college and not in the pros.  Until he learns to actually use his size to his advantage in the D zone and that includes clearing the front of the net, knocking people off the puck etc, he is a waste.  He is being paid top $ to be effective at both ends of the ice and really only does half the job.  To justify his compensation for just his O output, he needs to be a 70 pts player and his O skills aren’t good enough for that either.

I’m never going to find the reference but Owen did mention in an interview that he played physical when he was younger and got called for too many penalties due to his size.  Not sure how true that is or if it’s worth noting.  

[Weave]

11 minutes ago, inkman said:

 

I’m never going to find the reference but Owen did mention in an interview that he played physical when he was younger and got called for too many penalties due to his size.  Not sure how true that is or if it’s worth noting.  

Given the guy plays at arms length and rarely seems to lean in or box out, I never considered that comment worth noting.  They say a leopard doesnt change his spots.  He would need to dramatically change his spots.

[French Collection]

3 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Pronger was mean as hell.

If the Sabres had a guy like that there would be an immediate decrease in goals against due to way fewer high danger chances.

The biggest danger would be standing in front of the net.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Given the guy plays at arms length and rarely seems to lean in or box out, I never considered that comment worth noting.  They say a leopard doesnt change his spots.  He would need to dramatically change his spots.

I’m certainly not suggesting he can or will.  I’m mad at myself for even checking in on this site.  This team has done nothing to warrant my attention. 

[LTS]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

 

I’m never going to find the reference but Owen did mention in an interview that he played physical when he was younger and got called for too many penalties due to his size.  Not sure how true that is or if it’s worth noting.  

As the father and coach at times of a youth hockey player who was routinely 5-6 inches taller than others on the ice (until high school) I can attest that size equates to penalties.  It just doesn't matter.  Smaller kid runs into my son and falls down. Off to the box. My son puts any amount of contact on a kid around the crease and they fall down?  off to the box.

It's a very real thing.  The optics look bad and so refs call penalties because they already get enough crap from parents and don't want more. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

2 of which only want to play offense.   
 

By the way, I don’t want him to be Risto 2.0.  I don’t need him running around hitting everyone, all I want is for him to be better defensively and incorporate some physicality into his game.  I don’t think that is to much to ask.

Again, I don't disagree. I did say a "better version of Risto". Without fighting over words we all want him to be better defensively. Stronger and able to defend the front of his own net and not get moved away easily. 

To the "2" I guess you don't think Dahlin is in that 3 but I'd disagree. While he's better defensively than Power or Byram his strength is still offense and that's his preference. He's an allstar offensive defenseman, he's only a decent defensive defenseman but that's not unusual for most star D men like him in the league. 

[dudacek]

Dahlin is a very good defensive defenceman, among the top 10 percent in the league by most analytical measures.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I remember the posts about Risto's great off-season workouts.  Did it help his game?  No!  

Unless Power spent the off-season working with a positioning coach, I doubt simply getting stronger will make him a better in zone defender.

[Pimlach]

On 9/10/2025 at 8:38 AM, dudacek said:

Says he’s spent a lot of time in the weight room, and with the new strength coach.

Feels confident in his body and focused on being better defensively.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-owen-power-injury-rehab-partner-michael-kesselring-conor-timmins-brian-galivan-2025-26-season

Good to hear.  This could be the year he makes a bigger impact.    We really need that if this team is going anywhere.  

Edited 21 minutes ago by Pimlach