Rasmus Dahlin was named captain of the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
The 24-year-old defenseman replaces Kyle Okposo, who was captain for the past two seasons prior to being traded to the Florida Panthers on March 8.
“He does everything right, first and foremost,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Dahlin on the team's website. “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.”
Dahlin signed an eight-year, $88 million contract with the Sabres Oct. 9. 2023, that begins this season.
“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,” Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said.
“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’ caliber wear the 'C' and lead our team into the future.”
The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Dahlin was the first Sweden-born player to be selected first overall since Mats Sundin by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. He had 44 points (nine goals, 35 assists) in 82 games his first season and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, voted as NHL rookie of the year.
He had 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) in 81 games last season and averaged 25:25 of ice time per game, fifth in the League.
Dahlin leads Buffalo in games (436), assists (226), points (292), power-play points (123), hits (670) and blocked shots (539) since entering the NHL six seasons ago and has 66 goals in that span. That includes an NHL career-high 20 last season, which tied for third among all defensemen.
Dahlin, who has been an alternate captain each of the past two seasons, is the first defenseman to be Sabres captain since Craig Rivet from 2008-11.
Buffalo named four players to be alternate captains on a rotating basis: forward Alex Tuch, centers Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
“First and foremost, that guy is a gamechanger each and every night,” Tuch said of Dahlin. “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.
“To be able to go along into battle beside him has been a great honor, honestly, ever since I got in. And he’s raised my level of compete and he’s made me want to be a better player, and that’s what he does to each and every guy.”
The Sabres, who have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, open the regular season against the New Jersey Devils in Prague as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal on Oct. 4-5.
There are two teams in the NHL without a captain: the Seattle Kraken and the Utah Hockey Club.
