No one on the Buffalo Sabres roster improved more than Rasmus Dahlin, whose career year included an appearance in the All-Star Game.
Ask anyone on the Buffalo Sabres who is the hardest working member on their team and they will give you two answers. Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Dahlin. They say Dahlin has always been the hardest working defensemen in the room, but it wasn’t until Don Granato took over as head coach did he see that work pay off.
Under former head coach Ralph Krueger, Dahlin was a different player. He was hesitant, often overthinking what to do with the puck, and the lack of urgency in his game cost him. When the Sabres fired Krueger in March 2021 and Granato took over, Dahlin became a different player.
He acted with aggression, playing with instinct. And it led him to becoming one of the game’s best two-way players. Averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per game, Dahlin’s 53 points were the most by a Sabres defenseman since 1995-96, when Garry Galley accomplished the feat.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin can win the Norris Trophy next season
In case you didn’t know, the James Norris Memorial Trophy goes to:
"“The defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all around ability at the position.” – via NHL.com."
Dahlin could have seen his name in contention this past season, given his vast improvement. But when you look at NHL.com’s Trophy Tracker, you will notice a common denominator. Of the 12 names mentioned, 11 are playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The twelfth name, Quinn Hughes, saw his team in playoff contention.
But with a vastly improved team around him, expect Dahlin to draw serious consideration in 2022-23. If he continues to improve his offensive game and cuts down on the giveaways, he is a shoo-in finalist for the award.
Defensively, Dahlin’s game further improved with 121 hits and 91 blocks. He also logged 27 takeaways, his highest number overall and per game since 2018-19. Now that he has a breakout season under his belt, expect the game to slow down for Dahlin.
If you thought his numbers were good this season, look for more production in 2022-23. And it might just culminate with Dahlin becoming the first Buffalo Sabre to win the Norris Trophy.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)