Port Adelaide gun Zak Butters will lead the club in the absence of captain Connor Rozee, who is set to miss at least 12 weeks with a nasty hamstring injury.
"It's not about replacing Connor, but it's about maintaining the standards that Connor has set," Power coach Josh Carr said.
"It gives Zak an opportunity to go out there and lead the way that he does."
Butters is the competition's biggest free agent, and is working through heavy interest from Geelong and the Western Bulldogs, while Collingwood and Hawthorn are also seen as potential suitors.
Carr ensured the skipper call had nothing to do with Butters' looming contract decision.
"Not at all," Carr said.
"It was a really simple decision because Zak has been a great leader of this football club.
"And his improvement in his leadership just this year has been amazing.
"We have been rapt with his willingness to receive feedback, to get better and work on his leadership, and it now presents an opportunity for him to keep developing that."
Port Adelaide squared the ledger against Essendon after a woeful start in Round 1, losing to North Melbourne.
Carr admitted his pre-game messaging ahead of the Roos clash was wrong, saying: "I probably got a couple things wrong in the way I spoke to the players about North Melbourne and about what to expect."
He has since adjusted his approach ahead of another danger game this weekend against the West Coast.
"I think it's pretty exciting for their group," Carr said.
"The development of their list, you can see some significant improvement in their individuals. It's a great challenge for us.
"I thought the way they played that game last weekend was impressive. It's not going to be an easy game to play in. We're going to have to play good football to get the result."
