Q&A with Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin: Crazy draft hype, signing long term, Buffalo’s playoff drought and more

Credit: Rasmus Dahlin (© Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)

Don’t accuse Rasmus Dahlin of hiding. Not when he’s rocking that cardigan.

While attending All-Star Media Day in Toronto last week, Dahlin proudly displayed the green-and-white letterman look, adorned with a giant ‘R,’ reminiscent of Archie’s Riverdale jacket.

It inspired a dumb question from yours truly:

“So the giant R. Is that R for Rasmus?”

“Yep.”

One could sympathize had Dahlin chosen an inconspicuous look. This season hasn’t been fun. The Buffalo Sabres were supposed to be magic on ice in 2024-25. They missed the playoffs by a single point last season, during which Tage Thompson became a superstar and Dahlin finished eighth in the Norris Trophy vote, delivering on the potential that made him 2018’s No. 1 overall pick. The Sabres seemed poised to halt their NHL record playoff drought at 12 years. But here we are in February and they sit six points south of a playoff position, their potent offense out of sync, staring another devastating disappointment in the face.

Dahlin, 23, is quietly in his sixth season now, still waiting for a taste of the postseason. He’s gained a lot of perspective over the course of his young career. He caught up with Daily Faceoff for a one-on-one at All-Star weekend to look back on his draft year, explain why he signed long-term in Buffalo and more.

DAILY FACEOFF: You’re now in your sixth NHL season after being drafted first overall in 2018. What do you think has changed the most about you since your rookie year?

RASMUS DAHLIN: I came into the league as a boy, pretty much, 18 years old. Didn’t know much about anything, coming into a new country, new language, new league. I’m a totally different person now in terms of communication, preparation, training, hockey. So it’s been a crazy, what is it now, six years?

DFO: The hype was out of control in your draft year. You were dubbed the next Nicklas Lidstrom. You landed on the cover of The Hockey News (full disclosure: I worked for THN then and wrote that story). Looking back, was all that buzz difficult to deal with? When you’re being called the next Lidstrom or Erik Karlsson, does it get to you?

DAHLIN: Yeah. That draft year wasn’t a lot of fun, to be honest. But it was my life. To be on that magazine and people were comparing me to all these crazy legends, that was a part of it, but I accepted it, and I made the best of it.

DFO: If you look at Victor Hedman: he’s a guy who went top-two in the draft, came out of Sweden, big body, joined a team that was struggling and took several years to become a star. Do you consider him a role model whose career you can follow? Do you ever seek him out for mentorship?

DAHLIN: We talk here and there but not so much about hockey. But yeah, for sure, he got drafted high, he came to a not very good team, but he turned it around and now he’s a legend. That’s for sure what I want to do, too. He’s done a great job.

DFO: You recently signed an eight-year extension to remain a Sabre. What made you decide to dig your roots into Buffalo?

DAHLIN: All my buddies that play there now signed long-term (Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson), and we kind of talked it out and we really want to do this thing together. We want to do something special in Buffalo. We have a really good chance to do it. For me it was a no-brainer. I love this city, I love the people there. I’ve gotten to know people outside hockey too. And my family loves it too.

DFO: Does your family visit Buffalo often?

DAHLIN: Yeah. I love having family over so I try to get them over as much as I can. I think my brother has been in the U.S. this season four or five times already.

DFO: Are there any particular spots you love in Buffalo? Food, for instance. I’m a Dinosaur Bar-B-Que guy.

DAHLIN: (laughs) You know the restaurants around there?

DFO: Sure. Some, I guess.

DAHLIN: We have a lot of great restaurants in Buffalo. My favorite right now is Giancarlo’s. It’s in Williamsville. I think it’s Sicilian food? It’s a great hangout. It’s a great bar. You find your places where you go…I’ve got my places.

DFO: What’s it like to interact with Sabres fans on a daily basis? Do you get noticed everywhere you go?

DAHLIN: Yeah, they notice me for sure. But that’s a part of [the experience]. Buffalo people are so nice. There’s never any issues. They always wish me the best, and they always cheer for me. It’s great.

DFO: To be just a point away from making the playoffs last year, then to regress this season, has to be disappointing. What has to change for the Sabres to finally break through and end the 12-year playoff drought?

DAHLIN: Consistency, I would say. You see we have beaten really good teams in this league. When we play really well, we play really well. So we need the consistency. But we’re still in it, you know? We’ve got a second half now, and we can do a lot of good stuff here at the end. We’ve just got to keep grinding.

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Q&A with Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin: Crazy draft hype, signing long term, Buffalo’s playoff drought and more

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