Barring something unforeseen, fan favorite Kyle Okposo appears to be the shoo-in team captain for the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23.
There are two popular candidates to wear the C patch for the Buffalo Sabres next season: Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch. Okposo is the older, more experienced of the two players while Tuch is the hometown hero who has bled blue and gold since, well, forever.
My guess is that Okposo will wear the C while Tuch will be one of two players to snag the A. With Tuch’s popularity in the locker room and in the city of Buffalo, it’s almost a given that he will wear one. So for the purposes of this article, let’s go ahead and assume Tuch gets the A patch.
That leaves one more A. Below, we will talk about three players who are most deserving to wear it next season. In many slideshows, I like to list players in no particular order. But in this one, I will be listing players in descending order. So the one most likely to earn the A will be placed atop the list. Let’s meet that player.
The most likely alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres behind Alex Tuch: Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Buffalo Sabres, scoring 53 times (13 goals) and notching a career-high 7.6 shooting percentage. He also logged an astounding 24:01 of ice time and earned his first trip to the NHL All-Star Game.
While Dahlin is not the oldest player on the defensive rotation and following free agency, he won’t be the most experienced, he has grown into a leadership role over the past season. Dahlin became more vocal under head coach Don Granato, and was a constant energizing force on a Sabres team that lit up the league in March and April.
Say what you will about Dahlin’s age. But after Granato brought out the best in him and the way he displayed leadership qualities, he is the clear-cut favorite to land that second A. But there are two other candidates that may give him a run.