Captain Rasmus Dahlin has fueled the Buffalo Sabres' incredible rise up the Eastern Conference standings over the past four months, which has allowed him to make a late push for inclusion in the Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy conversations.
Dahlin still has one area where he can improve immensely, though: Staying out of the penalty box.
Longtime Sabres reporter Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 Radio discussed that topic during an appearance Thursday on TSN Mornings.
"Rasmus Dahlin's problem is he gets too wound up and too upset, and then he takes stupid penalties and does stupid things and he can't control himself," Hamilton said. "Is he better at that [now]? Somewhat. But he's still all of a sudden — something happens and he gets all wound up, cross-checks somebody or does something, winds up in the penalty box and it costs them. But he has improved on that greatly."
Dahlin has racked up 74 penalty minutes in 71 games this season. That includes 10 PIMs in a recent three-game stretch where he made a series of poor decisions that landed him in the sin bin. Those type of mental lapses can't happen in the playoffs.
It's a massive advantage for Buffalo's opponent every occasion where the three-time NHL All-Star is sitting in the box. He's one of the league's most complete players, capable of playing in any situation and excelling in all three zones. He's a true game-changer in every sense of the term.
So, being able to keep his emotions in check to prevent avoidable penalties will be one of the biggest intangible factors for the Sabres during their postseason run.
Buffalo Sabres' long-awaited return to the NHL Playoffs is a feather in the cap of Rasmus Dahlin
A lot of Sabres players reached their breaking point during the club's unimaginable 14-year playoff drought, the longest streak of its kind in NHL history.
Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, who went on to win Stanley Cup titles with the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues respectively, are the most notable examples, but they're far from alone.
Last year, there was emerging speculation Dahlin was heading down a similar path and considered requesting a trade out of Buffalo. He immediately denied those rumors.
"I have never said I want out of here," Dahlin told reporters in March 2025. "I'm not happy where we're at. I don't want to lose. We have to get better. I've never said I want out of here. I thought that was pretty clear. That bugs me, actually. I get [ticked] off by that. I haven't even mentioned the word 'leave.' That's just how it is."
The 25-year-old Sweden native takes his leadership responsibilities seriously. While other players were planning their escape routes from Western New York, he remained firmly committed to helping the Sabres turn things around.
Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has dealt with a lot of frustration over the past eight years. The lowest moment came in 2020-21 when he scored just 23 points in 56 games and compiled a minus-36 rating as Buffalo finished in last place.
Boy, the outlook sure looks a lot different now.
The Sabres enter Thursday's busy NHL schedule tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Atlantic Division lead. A win over the Ottawa Senators (or some help elsewhere around the league) will allow them to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2011.
Dahlin has been the driving force behind that success. He's recorded 67 points (17 goals and 50 assists) across 71 appearances, including 47 points in 45 games since the team's turnaround began in mid-December.
He leads a Buffalo top-four defense group, which also includes Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram, that has an argument as the league's most impactful quartet. They're all going to play massive minutes during the club's playoff run.
Regardless of how the season ends, the Sabres are finally on a clear upward trajectory for the first time in over a decade, and Dahlin deserves ample credit for sticking it out through the Dark Ages to ensure the sun rose again in downtown Buffalo.
His No. 26 jersey will one day hang in the rafters of the KeyBank Center.