Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin excels where most do not

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin excelled when he wasn’t supposed to, given the turbulent coaching carousel he faced. 

Before his breakout campaign last season, Buffalo Sabres fans were left wondering whether the franchise ruined former first overall pick, Rasmus Dahlin. Following a stellar rookie campaign in which Dahlin finished third for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the Sabres parted ways with head coach Phil Housley and hired Ralph Krueger.

When the Krueger Era began, Dahlin took a step back. Through 59 games, he was on pace for more points, but his total shots on goal per game and shooting percentage dropped. He averaged less ice time and overall, looked nowhere near as aggressive.

Then came the 2020-21 campaign and Dahlin looked completely lost. Halfway through the truncated season, the Sabres admitted their mistake with Krueger and promoted Don Granato, Dahlin’s third head coach in as many seasons.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin excels where others in his position don’t

Look at any sport, and you rarely see players in Dahlin’s situation succeed. But Granato has experience coaching and developing young talent, and it’s probably what salvaged Dahlin’s career and took it to new heights.

Another reason for Dahlin’s success is that Granato did not hold him back as Krueger did. Under Krueger, Dahlin was forced to be reactive, instead of being his usual, proactive self. Something that he was under Housley.

Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams further displayed their faith in Dahlin when they shipped Jack Eichel to Vegas over trying to mend the disgruntled forward’s relationship with the team. A few months before that, they traded their former top defenseman, Rasmus Ristolainen, to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Telling Dahlin to just play hockey his way, Granato brought out the best in the then-21-year-old. Literally the best, as Dahlin turned in 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points, all career-highs. He also cut his number of giveaways down to just 0.6375 per game.

Defensively, Dahlin improved and became arguably the most complete player on the team. And NHL pundits also praise his improved shiftiness, shooting percentage, and his quick decision-making when passing the puck. To sum things up, the future is bright for Dahlin.

Article Source: Buffalo Sabres Player Season Report Card: Rasmus Dahlin by Jacob D. Strozyk.

Statistics Provided By: Hockey-Reference.