Rasmus Dahlin
Yes, the All-Star from last season is the third player on this list. And while Dahlin was great last season, he needs to show in 2022-23 that he can take over games consistently. Especially games where the Buffalo Sabres are in a tight-knit contest with an opponent.
Dahlin can develop into one of the league’s top blueliners if he hasn’t already done so, and as 2021-22 wore on, he displayed phenomenal improvements in both the offensive and defensive aspects of his game. But we need to see more from Dahlin, who established himself as the face of the franchise with 24:01 of average time on the ice, 53 points, 13 goals, and 40 assists.
Head coach Don Granato was responsible for Dahlin’s improvement, encouraging him to play the game his way and not to worry about losing ice time because of mistakes. This opened up Dahlin’s game to a great degree.
Now, Dahlin faces the tall task of repeating and improving upon last season’s results. Something he has yet to do in a positive light during his four-year NHL career. And with the Sabres figuring to improve in 2022-23, it will not be possible if their star player does not improve with them.
Dahlin was good in 2021-22. At the very least, he was good enough to be an All-Star. But this season, he needs to be great.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)