Evolution of Sabres Captain Rasmus Dahlin: From Top Pick to Elite Defenseman

After winning the draft lottery, the Buffalo Sabres drafted Rasmus Dahlin first overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Dahlin was the consensus top pick that year, considered a franchise defenseman and a player with the potential to turn a franchise around. That hasn’t quite happened yet, but it’s not his fault that management hasn’t built a team around him. Still, he’s the team’s best player.

Here’s a look at Dahlin’s career from draft day to today.

Draft Day Hype: The Weight of Expectations

Dahlin was the first defenseman drafted first overall since Aaron Ekblad in 2014. Dahlin was considered a generational blueliner and already had lofty expectations on his teenage shoulders. His shiftiness, elite skating ability, puck-moving, and high hockey IQ were only a fraction of why expectations were so high so early. He was also being compared to all-time greats like Niklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson, who was one of the best defensemen in the league at the time.

From 2016 to 2018, Dahlin played for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Sweden’s top professional league. In 2017-18, in particular, he played 41 games, scoring 20 points, which, for a defenseman in one of the top European leagues, was impressive given his age.

When the Sabres won the draft lottery and knew they’d be able to select Dahlin, the fans, organization, and media all hoped he’d be able to change the culture around in the organization. He lived up to the hype.

Early NHL Years: Talent Flashed, Growing Pains

Entering his rookie season, Dahlin was already expected to become one of the best defensemen in Sabres history, and he immediately showed that potential. During the 2018-2019 season, the 18-year-old looked like a seasoned vet. He recorded 44 points (nine goals and 35 assists) playing in all 82 games. He also broke Sabres and NHL rookie defenseman records.

Sabres Rookie Records (Defenseman)

NHL-Wide Rookie Milestones

Now, we can’t talk about the good without the bad. Defensively, Dahlin did have his struggles. His hockey IQ was there, but he was often out-muscled in front of his net or in the corners/behind the net. It was evident he needed to put on weight. He wasn’t a mess defensively, but a lot of areas in his game needed improvement. Although he was so good offensively, he worked around his defensive liabilities at times.

He also struggled with his confidence, which, of course, will happen when you’re an 18-year-old playing at the world’s highest level.

In the next couple of seasons, he still had defensive lapses and struggled to produce offensively on a nightly basis. After the 2018-2019 season, the Sabres fired head coach Phil Housley and a month later hired his replacement, Ralph Krueger, who hadn’t coached an NHL game since 2013. That did not turn out well for Dahlin or the rest of the Sabres.

Krueger’s first season (2019-2020) was cut short due to COVID-19. Dahlin had a better offensive season than his rookie campaign, recording 40 points in 59 games, a 55-point pace in a full 82-game season. However, the team failed to qualify for the 24-team play-in round, so the Sabres’ historic playoff drought continued.

The shortened 56-game season in 2021 was by far Dahlin’s worst, with 23 points in 56 games. The team only recorded 15 wins and won the draft lottery, selecting defenseman Owen Power of the University of Michigan first overall. He and Dahlin were considered the two pillars who would help turn around the franchise.

In March 2021, the Sabres were having one of the worst losing streaks in franchise history. They decided to fire Krueger and promote assistant coach Don Granato, which is when Dahlin took the next step to becoming an elite defenseman.

Turning Point: Granato and a New System

When Granato was hired as the team’s head coach in the summer of 2021, many knew he was a great coach for player development. Part of that comes from his time coaching the USA U18 national team.

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres (Evan Sabourin / The Hockey Writers)

During the 2022-2023 season, we saw the first version of a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman. In 78 games, Dahlin recorded 73 points and was so close to helping the Sabres break the drought, missing the playoffs by one point. Dahlin was the first Sabres blueliner to hit 70+ points since Housley. Not only did his offensive game explode, but he also turned into a very reliable two-way defenseman who could be relied on at both ends of the ice.

He was not a defensive liability anymore, and his hockey IQ really showed. He matured as a player. He became a lot more physical, played with an edge that we’ve never seen him play with before in the NHL, and was more confident when he stepped on the ice. Granato unleashed his potential. Dahlin finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting, solidifying him as a top-10 defenseman in the league.

His game grew exponentially at this time, and his leadership off the ice improved. He was named an alternate captain for the first time in his career, which was well deserved. Not only did Granato trust him on the ice, but he also trusted him off-ice. Now, he had a voice in the locker room along with the captain at the time, Kyle Okposo, and the alternate captain, Zemgus Girgensons. Wearing the “A,” Dahlin was held to a higher standard, and the organization considered him a potential future captain.

The Sabres fired Granato after the 2023-2024 season and brought in Lindy Ruff, who had coached the team from 1997 to 2013 before being let go 17 games into the 2012-2013 season.

Dahlin a Franchise Cornerstone

The team signed Dahlin to an eight-year, $11 million per year contract extension at a time when the Sabres tried to lock up the players they thought were a part of the core, including Mattias Samuelsson, Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, and Power. When Okposo was traded at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline and Girgensons signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the offseason, the captaincy was vacant. Before the 2024-2025 season, Dahlin was given the “C”.

Dahlin led by example on and off the ice this season. He was their most valuable player and went winless when he was out with injury. Hopefully, management will focus on building around Dahlin this summer and set them up to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

What’s Next for Dahlin?

Right now, the only thing missing from Dahlin’s resume is a Norris Trophy. The award is more offensively driven than ever, and with players like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, and Adam Fox in the mix, it’s become increasingly difficult to win. The only downside is that Dahlin would have to lead all defensemen in points to win the award.

Dahlin wants to be part of the solution in Buffalo, help break the drought, and bring a Stanley Cup to the organization. The first step is making the playoffs.

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Dahlin will likely go down as the best defenseman in franchise history, surpassing Housley. He already has 380 points in 509 games. That is a 61-point pace per season. At that pace, he will break the record. He trails only Housley’s 558 points. Dahlin is also only 93 assists away from Housley’s record.

By the end of Dahlin’s career, he could be the franchise leader in games played, goals, assists and points by a defenseman. He is already an elite defenseman, and he has the potential to improve even more. Is Dahlin a top-five defenseman in the league?