The Journey Of Buffalo Sabres Rasmus Dahlin

Rasmus Dahlin’s Olympic Performance

The defenseman played in five games during the Olympics. He played against Team Slovakia and Team USA which included his Sabres teammate Thompson. Dahlin racked up four assists over the course of the games he played in and scored one goal.

Dahlin returned to Buffalo, NY, five days after Team Sweden’s loss against Team USA in the quarter-final. He practiced with the Sabres while the team waited for the NHL season to resume.

Dahlin had spoken with the media after practice about his Olympic experience representing his country, along with Team USA’s win against Canada.

“I’m sure he (Thompson) learned a lot of things at the Olympics too,” Dahlin said. “I’m happy, I’m fired up to see what he says.”

Buffalo Sabres On The Warpath

The Sabres launched themselves out of the gate, winning all seven games that followed after the Olympic break. This included knocking the Tampa Bay Lightning out of being the first seed in the Atlantic Division.

As for Dahlin, he contributed seven assists and two goals since returning from Milano-Cortina.

The Target On His Back

However, the series of wins came with some scraps. Of course, in Dahlin’s case, he was a consistent target. For context, the captain was the Sabres’ first overall in the 2018 draft. As such, he has a target on his back.

Dahlin isn’t much of a fighter on the ice, but many altercations he was caught up in became iconic highlights throughout the Sabres’ season.

At the beginning of the season, Florida Panthers’ forward Brad Marchand jumped on Dahlin. The forward proceeded to the penalty box with Dahlin’s helmet and hand. Marchand ripped apart Dahlin’s helmet and threw it back to the ice.

Another instance came after the Olympic break. Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin was suspended for five games due to slashing Dahlin in the neck. Even Tampa’s Brandon Hagel was fined $5,000 for being the aggressor in the attack on Dahlin.

The Sabres’ defensemen had seen a lot of action this season. How he handles situations on the ice from when he first started with the Sabres up until now says a lot about his character.

Dahlin’s Character On The Ice

As stated, the Sabre isn’t much of a fighter. Dahlin has only gotten better at keeping up with his line and getting into those tight spots to tap the puck into the net on a rebound.

In addition, for a short time in the middle of his career with the Sabres, Dahlin was the only one on the team who could single-handedly skate into the opponent’s defensive zone, develop a play himself, and score.

The consistent growth, showing up for the team, and coming into his own, brought the reward of being named captain of the team in 2024. His title has continued into the 2025-2026 season, along with his veteran mentality.

Then Vs Now

That veteran mentality took time to develop. When Dahlin first started with the Sabres, he contributed a lot but was obviously still learning. As much as he got into tight spots to get the puck into the net, he also caused frequent turnovers.

The team had already struggled with maintaining a tight, strong defense. Therefore, Dahlin was riding that same wave with the defense as well.

Currently, Dahlin leads the team in assists and is the number five leading scorer. He has also remained calm in those scrappy situations. He has even said to the media that he knows that a call would be made in the Sabres favor.

Dahlin has been through the highs and lows with the Sabres. He’s seen the team’s 10-game winning streak in 2018. As well as the playoff drought the Sabres continued to carry into Dahlin’s career with the team.

As a result, the Sabres seven-game winning streak after the Olympic break and being the top team in the Atlantic has been momentous for Dahlin.

Following the Sabres’ win against the Lightning, Dahlin spoke to the media about the game.

“Finally we’re here,” Dahlin said. “I don’t take this for granted at all.”

End of Rasmus Dahlin Rant

Dahlin has been on the team for eight consecutive seasons. There were highs and lows. Now it’s just beautiful to see Dahlin seeing the fruit of his labor and the brotherhood the team has.