The 23-year-old defenseman, who was selected by Buffalo with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, had an NHL career-high 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) in 78 games last season.
"I feel like I can take steps every day," Dahlin said. "To stay consistent all season I’ve got to tweak a little stuff in my game. Just the overall game, every single minute, every single shift, I’ve got to be on the top to be able to compete with the best. It takes a lot, but I’m ready for it."
A native of Lidkoping, Sweden, Dahlin has 233 points (46 goals, 187 assists) in 355 games through his first five NHL seasons. He is one of 12 defensemen in League history to get 200 points prior to his 23rd birthday.
"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."
Dahlin is a key member of a young, talented core in Buffalo, which also includes forwards Tage Thompson, 25, Dylan Cozens, 22, Casey Mittelstadt, 24, Jack Quinn, 22, and JJ Peterka, 21, and defenseman Owen Power, 20.
"I shared a lot of years with all the guys you’re talking about," Dahlin said. "They’re super, super talented guys, but the people, the guys, the persons, are such good people. I love spending time with them and I love to go to war with them, too. Kevyn has done such a great job, too, secured all the really good people."
Buffalo was fifth in the Atlantic Division last season (42-33-7), finishing one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres, who haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2011, will open this season against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, MSG-B, MSG, SN360).
"I think Rasmus last year took a step in all areas of his game," Adams said. "He’s clearly gifted offensively and as good as it gets in terms of the ability to run a power play and produce offensively. But what I saw, a maturation of him last year was him being physical, being really hard on opponents, being able to play against anybody, whether that’s a highly skilled line or a more physical line, just being able to settle in to being comfortable with the type of game that night might bring, too.
"That might mean a more wide-open, fast game and skill, or that might mean this is a game that is going to be more physical, and he's able to go and do that. I think that's a really important part that he matured over the last season and showed that he can really be that guy that can play 30 minutes a night if needed in every situation. That’s why we were certain and comfortable in where we were and where the negotiations were going."
Adams added that negotations are continuing with Power on a new contract.
Power, who is entering the final season of a three-year, entry-level contract, can become a restricted free agent after the season. He's been eligible to sign a new deal since July 1.
"We've had tons of dialogue back-and-forth regular, especially over the last few weeks," Adams said. "And we'll continue. They're in different situations a little bit in their career, obviously with where Rasmus was a little bit older, a little more years, closer to a UFA, so it's all part of it, but we'll continue to have the conversations with Owen.
"What’s been very clear with our conversations with Owen Power from the beginning is this is where he wants to be. So I’m open, but obviously when you have a player that you feel is a critical piece of your core at his age, to have him in his prime years, yeah, of course, we'd look to the longer side. But it doesn’t mean that ... it has to work for both sides, and I’m open to making sure we're putting ourselves and the player in the best position moving forward. Owen certainly knows that and we'll keep talking about it."
NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report
