Buffalo Sabres name Rasmus Dahlin captain

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have named Rasmus Dahlin their new captain.

Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson will serve as alternates.

“He does everything right, first and foremost,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “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.”

“It’s been a joy through these opening weeks of training camp to see Lindy experience firsthand what so many of us in our organization have felt when it comes to Rasmus Dahlin’s work ethic, competitive drive, and devotion to the Buffalo Sabres,” Said Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.

“Rasmus sets the tone for our team each and every day with how he prepares and competes. He is respected by his teammates and coaches, both for his actions at the rink and his commitment to our Western New York community. We are so proud to have a player and person of Rasmus’ calibre wear the “C” and lead our team into the future.”

Dahlin signed an eight-year extension last October to remain in Buffalo for the long term. The Sabres originally selected Dahlin No. 1 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. During the 2023-24 campaign, Dahlin set a career-high 20 goals and 39 assists for 59 points in 81 games.

Through six NHL seasons, the 24-year-old has 66 goals and 226 assists for 292 points and 324 penalty minutes in 436 career regular-season games.

“First and foremost, that guy is a gamechanger each and every night,” Tuch said. “His consistency on the compete factor has been incredible ever since I got into town, and I’ve seen it grow and just blossom into the players that he’s become. He’s an incredible player, but he’s also an incredible individual.”

Dahlin joins a long list of memorable players who wore the ‘C’ for Buffalo which includes Kyle Okposo, Jack Eichel, Chris Drury, Jason Pominville, Danny Briere, Brian Campbell, Pat LaFontaine, Michael Peca and more.