The Buffalo Sabres currently sit in first place in the Atlantic Division through 66 games played with a 40-20-6 record (86 points) and are on the cusp of breaking their 14-season playoff drought.
There’s no secret that they’ve been the best team in the NHL since Dec. 9, 2025. They’ve been getting production from everyone up and down the lineup; stars like Tage Thompson to newly-acquired players such as Sam Carrick, who already has two goals since being acquired at the trade deadline, everyone is chipping in.
Amidst all of the winning, one thing to me has stood out, and that’s how much Rasmus Dahlin’s game has evolved, even from last season. He’s taken that next step to being a borderline top-five defenseman in the league.
Dahlin’s Two-Way Game Has Evolved
Dahlin struggled for the first four to five seasons trying to find his two-way game. He’d look good defensively, but there would still be some defensive lapses from time to time. Last season was the first season we all saw him take his two-way game to an elite level, and he’s continued to do so all of this season.
According to Evolving Hockey, Dahlin ranks in the 86th percentile in offense, which is expected; defensively, he ranks in the 88th percentile. It just goes to you how well he can play offense as he has since his rookie season in 2018, and how much he has improved as a defender.
It goes beyond his percentile ranks. Just with the eye test, he plays every defensive situation pretty much as well as a player can. He knows where to be at all times, and even if he’s in the right spot, he does a great job communicating with his teammates on the ice when it comes to where to be. From pointing out to a teammate to take an opposing player to when to rotate in the defensive zone, it’s impressive to watch.
We talked about how much he’s improved his defense, but what about his offense? His offensive game has always excelled, even as an 18-year-old rookie. In Sabres franchise history, he finished his rookie season third all-time in points by a rookie defenseman (44), fourth all-time in goals by a rookie defenseman (nine), and fourth all-time in assists by a rookie defenseman (35).
Now, fast-forward to this season, where he’s recorded 60 points in 63 games (13 goals and 47 assists). Since Dec. 9, Dahlin has been on a tear offensively; he’s recorded 42 points in 38 games played (12 goals, 30 assists), which ranks fourth in the NHL during that span.
The Comparable Conversation
Where does Dahlin compare to the rest of the elite defenseman around the league? In my opinion, the only elite defensemen currently are (in no specific order) Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Miro Heiskanen, Adam Fox, Evan Bouchard, and Moritz Seider.
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Their offensive skillset is what makes that group of defensemen the players they are, but at one point in their careers, their defensive game took that next step. We’ve seen it with Seider this season and Heiskanen the last three seasons or so. Even Bouchard, who gets flak for being poor defensively, has been better defensively than in seasons prior.
If you were to ask me right now where Dahlin ranks among these defenseman, I’d say he ranks fifth, only behind Hughes, Werenski, Makar, and Heiskanen. Yes, he has become a top-five defenseman in my eyes now.
Leadership & Culture
Dahlin has played a huge part in the culture shift in Buffalo. Named the Sabres captain before last season, there was speculation that not only did he not seem like “captain material”, but also that he “wanted out” of Buffalo, and he quickly put those rumors to rest.
He’s grown well into the captain role, and his leadership has taken the next step on and off the ice. He’s the first player to greet any new players coming into the locker room the first to help a younger player improve on the ice, and most importantly, he has his teammates’ backs no matter what.
Despite Buffalo being the laughing stock of the NHL before this season, he stuck it out. He didn’t take the easy way out and just leave; he stayed, and even when reports would surface that he was going to ask for a trade, he denied them. Granted, no player is going to admit that in front of the media, but he did admit he was getting a little frustrated. To be honest, everyone would if they were in his shoes.
Now, it’s paying off. He believed in the organization that took a chance on choosing him first overall, and now he’s the face of that franchise hoping to bring a Stanley Cup to Buffalo someday.
Dahlin has become a true number-one defenseman right in front of our eyes, and I can say this confidently: it’s only a matter of time before he wins the Norris Trophy.
