Sabres: What to expect from Rasmus Dahlin in 2021

The former number one overall pick of the Sabres has been impressive since entering the league in 2018. What should we expect to see from Dahlin in 2021?

The Buffalo Sabres finally got the number one overall pick before the 2018 draft, and it was no secret who they were going to take. Defenseman prospect Rasmus Dahlin was said to be one of the top defensive prospects in years.

Dahlin has been productive since entering the league. And at only 20-years-old, Dahlin is still developing. Dahlin reached second all-time for points for an under-20 defenseman in the NHL. He has been one of the better players on the Sabres since being picked by them.

When will we see Buffalo put more faith in him and give him the most ice time out of the Sabres defenseman? Last year, Dahlin ranked 3rd on the team in defenseman ice time with 19:17 per game. The only other defenseman that ranked above him were Branton Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen.

Dahlin had more points than both Montour and Ristolainen last season. He averaged 0.68 points per game. The next closest Sabres defenseman was Ristolainen, who averaged 0.48 points per game.

I know points are not the best stat to prove which defensemen are better, but imagine him in the top defensive pairing and sharing the ice with Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall. The number of scoring opportunities that line would produce would be insane.

One stat that is interesting to look at for defenseman to help determine how much a team trusts them is power-play time on ice and short-handed time on ice. Dahlin averaged much more time than Ristolainen on the power-play and Ristolainen averaged much more time on the ice in short-handed situations.

Obviously, this shows that Buffalo sees Dahlin as more of an offensive-minded defenseman and they look at Ristolainen as more of a traditional NHL defenseman. But if the Sabres want to develop Dahlin to be a more well-rounded defenseman, they need to put him in situations to thrive in that role. Playing him more on the penalty kill is a great way to do that.

Rasmus Dahlin is a great player for the Sabres, and he is going to be great for a long time. At only 20-years-old, he is an elite-level prospect. I think it’s finally time that the Sabres show that they trust him as their top defenseman.