The Buffalo Sabres weren't able to complete a miracle run to the 2026 Stanley Cup title but it was still a memorable season for Rasmus Dahlin, the team's ever-reliable captain.
Dahlin is nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman after posting a career-high 74 points (19 goals and 55 assists) along with 79 blocked shots, 67 hits and a plus-18 ratings across 77 regular-season appearances. He added four goals and 10 helpers in 13 playoff games.
The 26-year-old Swede is also a finalist for the Masterton Trophy for the perseverance he showed as a key member of the Sabres' turnaround while also helping his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, recover from an offseason medical incident that led her to receive a heart transplant.
Now, as Dahlin and his teammates head into the offseason, the superstar blueliner has one request for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
"All I want is [Alex] Tuch to get back. That's the bottom line," Dahlin told reporters Wednesday.
Tuch is an impending unrestricted free agent, and the 30-year-old winger will have a strong case as the best player available if he ultimately hits the NHL open market on July 1.
The Syracuse native, whose reported asking price on a long-term extension has hovered around $10.5 million since last summer, endured a miserable second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, though. He failed to record a single point across seven games.
Buffalo also has eight other notable free agents it must make a decision on, a group headlined by rising star Zach Benson, who was the club's most impactful player throughout the postseason.
So, it's far from a guarantee Tuch will return to the Blue and Gold next season, especially if he's unwilling to take a "hometown discount" to remain with the organization.
A vote of confidence from Dahlin is something Kekalainen will have to take into account as contract negotiations with Tuch and his representatives continue in the weeks ahead.
Rasmus Dahlin reflects on Sabres' unforgettable season and Buffalo fan support
Dahlin is one of the players who deserves an extra pat on the back for sticking around in Buffalo when it would have been easy to jump ship, like so many players did during the team's 14-year playoff drought, the longest such streak in NHL history.
Instead, when speculation emerged about the talented defenseman potentially seeking an escape route ahead of last year's trade deadline, he instantly shot it down.
"I have never said I want out of here," Dahlin said 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."
His loyalty to the Blue and Gold was finally rewarded this season.
The Sabres won 39 of their final 53 games during the regular season, which allowed them to capture an Atlantic Division title and finish second in the Eastern Conference. They proceeded to eliminate the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo fell short against the Habs in Game 7 on Monday night, but it was still a year of substantial progress for the previously suffering franchise.
"We definitely took a step in the right direction," Dahlin said Wednesday. "We've taken steps this year. We've really grown as an organization, as a team, as individuals. It's a sour taste in my mouth after that loss, but in the bigger picture, we've done some good things this year. We've really grown. So, I'm excited for the future, that's for sure."
The first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, who represented Sweden in this year's Winter Olympics, also took an opportunity to thank Sabres fans for their support.
In March, Carolina returned to Buffalo after spending the early months of her recovery back home in Sweden and she received a standing ovation when shown on the KeyBank Center jumbotron.
"I can't be more thankful for everything," Dahlin said. "The stuff I went through, it seemed like the whole city had my back, the team, the organization. I felt a lot of love, honestly. I can't be more thankful, I do really appreciate it."
Now the focus shifts to the future.
The Sabres were finally able to bring the playoff drought to a merciful conclusion, and reaching that stage will become the baseline expectation, with hope the team's first championship arrives during this period of what the franchise hopes is sustained contention.
Dahlin will remain at the center of it all since he's under contract with Buffalo through the 2031-32 season, and there will almost certainly be a push at the turn of the next decade to sign him to another extension to keep him in Western New York for his entire NHL career.
Meanwhile, the defenseman will wait to find out whether he wins the Norris and Masterson trophies, though a date for the 2026 NHL Awards ceremony has not yet been announced.
Add us as a preferred source on Google