3 Buffalo Sabres that are on the hot seat in 2022-23

Rasmus Dahlin

While Dahlin is not a one-year wonder, he has never consistently strung together two decent seasons. Last year, he was arguably the best player on the Buffalo Sabres, knocking down 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points to go along with stellar defensive play.

But there are more reasons than one regarding Dahlin’s status on the hot seat, as Adam Proteau of The Hockey Writers pointed out. Proteau noticed a common denominator regarding how Dahlin’s play coincided directly with that of the Sabres. When he was down, so was the team. But when Dahlin took over games, the Sabres were able to contend.

However, Dahlin has some reinforcements this season with Owen Power entering his first full year in Buffalo and the hard-hitting Ilya Lyubushkin coming to town. Also note that late last season, Dahlin and another hard-hitter in Mattias Samuelsson forged a lethal combo, and they will most likely comprise the first defensive pairing.

In other words, Dahlin isn’t forced to do most of the legwork himself. If he has a lean game or two, it won’t spell a likely loss for the Sabres. But Dahlin also has to continue living up to his $6 million contract. And to do this, he must continue to dominate as a two-way player and even improve upon his performance from 2021-22.