'He's never satisfied' | Dahlin excelled as leader on and off the ice

Rasmus Dahlin was the lone player on the ice inside LECOM Harborcenter roughly 15 minutes before a late October practice was scheduled to begin.
Dahlin was off to one of the best starts to a season by a defenseman in league history. He had scored goals in each of Buffalo's first five games, a feat unmatched by Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin or any other player who ever manned the blue line for an NHL team. The Sabres won four of those games.
On this morning, Dahlin's focus was on the goal he didn't score. The Sabres had lost 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens the night before. Dahlin had fired seven shot attempts, including one from the right faceoff circle that goaltender Sam Montembault saved in the final seconds.
Dahlin planted himself in that exact spot the following morning, firing shot after shot until his teammates joined him for practice.
"That exemplifies him," Sabres coach Don Granato said afterward. "He's never satisfied."

Such was Dahlin's attitude in the days following the Sabres' season. He tied for fifth among NHL defensemen with 73 points, the third-highest mark by a blueliner in Sabres history. He ranked fourth in the league in ice time despite missing four games. He was the Sabres' leader in blocked shots and finished second on the team in hits. He played through multiple injuries down the stretch.
Put simply, Dahlin did it all.
"I feel like I have more in me," he said on locker cleanout day. "I'm excited for next season."

That drive - the unwillingness to settle, the unflinching commitment to be a part of a winning team in Buffalo - has made Dahlin one of the Sabres' unquestioned leaders at just 23 years old. He is as fiercely competitive during practices as he is in games. He is routinely one of the last players on the ice once practice ends, often alongside his fellow All-Star, Tage Thompson.
"If you see the best D-man in the world going out there and doing a little extra I think you should probably be out there too," his defense partner, Mattias Samuelsson - a captain in his own right both in college and on various international stages - said.
"I look up to Ras. I think everyone in the room does. I'm definitely thankful he's here and he's gonna be a leader here for a long time."
A highlight reel of Dahlin's season would do justice to the duality of his game, on many nights both the most skilled and most physical player on the ice.
He toe-dragged to the slot for one goal against Minnesota on January 7, one of a career-best five points he earned that night.

He launched a seeing-eyed stretch pass from deep in his own zone to set up Dylan Cozens' overtime winner on Ryan Miller Night.

His crushing, open-ice hit on San Jose forward Matt Nieto in December conjured memories of Brian Campbell.

When the Sabres were playing with their backs to the wall in April - still in playoff contention but in need of a win - Dahlin delivered another signature game against Carolina.
He scored a power-play goal, then carved the Hurricanes defense to set up a goal for Casey Mittelstadt.

With the game tied in the third period, Dahlin - playing through injury - scrambled to block two shots seconds apart, preventing Martin Necas from scoring the go-ahead goal.
"He's so competitive," Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said. "That's probably his best leadership quality, how competitive he is. He just wants to win all the time. He wants to be the best. He wants to be on the ice in every situation. He's been incredible."
His commitment extends off the ice. When Thompson was hurt in Buffalo's last game before the All-Star break, the Sabres were left without a representative at one of the NHL's marquee events. Dahlin was set to join a group of teammates on a vacation in the Bahamas the following day.
Dahlin traded a weekend on the beach for three days of interviews, bus rides, and video shoots - all so the Sabres would be represented.

The week prior, he penned an open letter to fans describing his and his teammates' commitment to the city.
"This is a player, and in this case, a person, who is authentic," Granato said. "There is nothing manufactured when I read that. That is authentic Rasmus Dahlin."
The Sabres have made a habit of rewarding their core players with long-term contracts. Thompson, Samuelsson, and Cozens all signed seven-year extensions since last summer. Dahlin, with one year remaining before restricted free agency, is eligible to join them.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams left no room for interpretation when asked if extending Dahlin was a priority, saying he couldn't imagine a long-term future without him.
"I know I'm biased, but I look at him as one of the top in the world at what he does," Adams said. "He's taken huge steps. I couldn't be more proud of him but I also know how much work he's put into this. I still think he's going to get better. You hear me say that a lot. He's a player I believe will keep getting better."