The Buffalo Sabres drafted defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall in the 2018 NHL Draft and he has since evolved into arguably the team’s best player
The Buffalo Sabres waited a few seasons for Rasmus Dahlin to fully emerge. Just last season, Dahlin looked like yet another perennial bust or at best, a gifted underachiever the Sabres have become all too familiar with drafting.
Recently, the Sabres drafted the likes of Casey Mittelstadt, Alexander Nylander, Nikita Zadorov, Zemgus Girgensons, and Mikhail Grigorenko. We can hope Mittelstadt can salvage what little progress he’s shown, while Girgensons is at least serviceable on the lower lines.
However, Grigorenko appeared in just 68 games for the Sabres, Zadorov in 67, and Nylander, 19. We also can’t forget about our infamous friend Jack Eichel, who despite sound performances, never took over games the way the Sabres thought he would. Ditto for Sam Reinhart, and both are long gone from the Sabres.
It’s a proven science that when teams flunk out on first and early-round draft picks, they will suffer in the long-run. One bad early-round pick can set the team back a few seasons. A string of bad picks will set a team back at least a decade. Something the Sabres and their faithful fans are familiar with.
And for a minute, Dahlin looked as though he were embarking on the same path. Just one season ago, Dahlin fell into the “physically-gifted underachiever” category. He showed little improvement from his rookie season until then, and even regressed in the points category.
Enter Don Granato and his “Granato Effect” that brought change in Dahlin. This season, Dahlin became more aggressive, more vocal, and he turned into a player whose leadership qualities stretch beyond his 22 years of age.
Given his rare combination of winning traits augmented with an All-Star appearance, it’s clear Dahlin has evolved into the most complete Buffalo Sabre. Let’s look at three distinguishing traits as to why he’s the team’s greatest contributor.