Buffalo Sabres Name Rasmus Dahlin Captain

The Buffalo Sabres have named defenseman Rasmus Dahlin their captain ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season. He had spent the past two seasons as an alternate captain. Kyle Okposo was the most recent to captain the team, but he was traded to the Florida Panthers at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Dahlin, 24, was selected with the first overall pick by the Sabres in the 2018 NHL Draft. He has played in 436 career NHL games, totaling 66 goals and 226 assists for 292 points.

Despite being just 24 years old, Dahlin is the longest-tenured Sabre on the current roster. Recently appointed head coach Lindy Ruff has not been with Dahlin long, but he has been impressed by the young defenseman. He told NHL.com “His on-ice action has been incredible, and I think he’s a guy that leads in every category, from the way he prepares himself to the way he plays and the fact that he’s a guy who cares about winning hockey games.”

Dahlin is entering the first season of his eight-year, $88 million contract extension he signed with the Sabres last season. In 2023-24, posted a career-high in goals (20) and was named an All-Star for the third consecutive season.

In addition to Dahlin’s captaincy, the Sabres have named Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson as alternate captains on a rotational basis. Buffalo will begin their season on Oct. 4 against the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Global Series in the Czech Republic.

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