The Buffalo Sabres need solid years from everybody to even come close to being in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff appearance for the first time in a decade. But (and at the risk of just pointing out one of those players when it will take big efforts from most Sabres players to make Buffalo a playoff team) we’re going to focus on a player this writer believes has to have a big year to get the Sabres back in the post-season.
And that player is a key player for Buffalo: team captain and star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
First of all, let’s be clear: we all need some empathy for Dahlin. His fiancee had a major health scare, and Dahlin and his fiancee need our understanding as they walk the road of recovery. Nothing that happens on the ice is more important than that.
But there’s also no denying Dahlin needs a high-impact season to improve Buffalo’s play in its own zone and getting into a playoff spot. The Sabres were tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins as the third-worst defensive team last season, giving up an average of 3.50 goals-against per game. Only Chicago (3.56) and San Jose (3.78) were worse — and both of those teams, as well as the Sabres and Penguins, all were well out of a playoff position in 2024-25.
Thus, while the Sabres definitely needs a banner year on offense from Dahlin, it’s the team’s play in the defensive end that has to show the most growth. And as he enters his prime at 25 years old, Dahlin has to lead the charge and be better all-around this season.
Dahlin had a rebound season on offense last season; although his goal total fell from 20 in 2023-24 to 17 in 2024-25, Dahlin’s assist total went from 39 in ’23-24 to 51 in ’24-25. Dahlin had nine more points last season than he did the year prior, so imagining he’s going to surge by 20 points is unfair to him. If he can get back to his career highs of goals (20) assists (58) and points (73), the Sabres will be elated.
Value In Former Sabres Shows Buffalo Has Talent — But So Far, The Mix Has Always Been Wrong
Believe it or not, the Buffalo Sabres and their players are not inherently terrible. Sure, there are Buffalo players you may believe to be flawed, and sure, the Sabres have been consistently sub-par for the past 14 seasons — none of which have ended with Stanley Cup playoff games being played in Western New York. But if you look at some of Buffalo’s former players, you see that they have some value across the league, even though they have a stint with the Sabres on their resume.
But though Dahlin is a savvy defender who is Buffalo’s primary saving grace on ‘D’, he needs to create a defense-minded tide that raises all Sabres boats — by which, we mean Dahlin has to find ways to make his teammates better. Dahlin can’t work miracles if the talent Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has assembled around him aren’t true difference-makers. But when you wear the ‘C’, you’re primarily responsible for ensuring the mentality you expect in a playoff team to have taken root in your dressing room. You have to be what you’re being asked to be — a leader.
Absent an all-around improvement in their own end, the Sabres are going to miss the playoffs for the 15th-straight season. That’s inevitable unless Dahlin and his teammates change the narrative in Buffalo.
This Season Could Be Final Kick At Can For Sabres Coach Ruff, GM Adams
The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season is about as high-stakes as it gets. The Sabres will be aiming to end the organization’s 14-year drought on the Stanley Cup playoff front. And while certain players will not be long for Buffalo if the Sabres fail to make it into the post-season this year, the reality is the Sabres’ most prominent coaching and management members — coach Lindy Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams — could be getting their final kick at the can in their jobs — at least, at the NHL level.
The Sabres are going to need contributions from each of their players this season in order to get back into the post-season. But if Dahlin can’t coax better play out of the rest of the Sabres, Buffalo will indeed be in trouble once again.
The defense is the thing in Sabres Land, and that’s what Buffalo has to address. What their captain has to address. Nobody’s asking Dahlin to coach the team, but when you’re the leader, you’re responsbile. And the defense is going to hang on Dahlin’s shoulders this year. When you’re making $11-million every year until 2032, it’s ultimately on you. And that’s where Dahlin is in NHL Season No. 8.
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