'This is the city I love' | Dahlin commits to Buffalo with max-term extension

Rasmus Dahlin let his representatives at Newport Sports handle negotiations as they and the Buffalo Sabres worked to hammer out the details of a contract extension this past summer.

He gave them one directive. He wanted to be in Buffalo, and for as long as possible.

“I grew up here as a man,” Dahlin said. “I came here as an 18-year-old, didn’t know much about anything. Learned the language, learned the culture. Then from the beginning I loved the city. So, I’ve always wanted to be here for a long, long time, and now it’s going to happen. This is the city I love.”

Dahlin got his wish Saturday night, when the two sides agreed to an eight-year, $88 million contract that will keep the defenseman in Buffalo through the 2031-32 season. It is the richest contract in franchise history and carries the second-highest salary for a defenseman in the NHL, behind Erik Karlsson.

The consensus inside KeyBank Center on Monday – from Adams, from coach Don Granato, and from the outpouring of love from teammates who took to social media to congratulate him – was that both distinctions were well-deserved.

“He means everything,” said Dylan Cozens, who signed his own seven-year extension in February. “He’s a franchise defenseman, one of the best defensemen in the league. He’s an ultra-competitor and he pushes everyone to be the best. So, it’s great to have a guy like Ras on the team.”

Dahlin’s contract is a testament to the growth he has experienced since being drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2018. He arrived with high expectations, having drawn comparisons to players like Karlsson and Denis Potvin before he ever stepped foot on NHL ice. The pressure he placed on himself was greater.

He became a full-time player the very next season and, in many ways, lived up to those expectations. He posted more points than any 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history not named Phil Housley and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy.

But the confident demeanor with which he carries himself today had yet to emerge. The Sabres struggled the next two seasons, a stretch Dahlin reflected on Monday as invaluable.

“I had one or two rough years there, but I learned a lot and it made me a better person, it made me more of a competitor, a never-give-up mentality,” he said. “So, I’m actually very, very happy about those years and I’m sure I will take a step back in the future too to be able to take a step forward.”

His step forward received a jumpstart in March 2021, when the Sabres were mired in an 18-game losing streak and Don Granato was appointed as head coach. Granato made the immediate decision to stake the organization’s direction in the young players already on the roster, Dahlin chiefly among them.

Dahlin started to see matchups befitting a top defenseman. He was encouraged to play without fear of making mistakes, which unlocked his world-class puck handling. Before long, his confidence on the ice was reflected in all areas of his professional life, be it speaking to the media or addressing fans.

“What was easy for me to see when I did take over the team was that if we're going to be successful, we [had] to get Rasmus going,” Granato recalled.

“He was one of our if not the most talented guy when that transition happened and I was looking at any way possible, all possibilities of making us a better hockey team.”

Dahlin enjoyed a career year in 2021-22, then shattered it last season as he helped pull the Sabres within a point of the playoffs while serving as alternate captain at just 22 years old. He ranked fifth among NHL defensemen with 73 points, the third-highest mark at his position in Sabres history.

But while his offensive highlight-reel would rival that of any NHL defenseman, that alone would not do justice to the totality of his impact. He ranked fourth in the league in total ice time despite missing four games. He led the Sabres in blocked shots and finished second on the team in hits.

Samuelsson, who was drafted one round after Dahlin in 2018, has had a front-row seat to many of his exploits as his primary defense partner last season. It was Samuelsson who collected the loose puck, for example, when Dahlin lined up San Jose forward Matt Nieto for a devasting open-ice hit last December.

“He does everything right,” Samuelsson said. “Practice, games. Gives it all. He can dangle all five players but will also put someone through the end wall. So, yeah, pretty special player. Having him on the team for eight more years is a pretty big piece.”

The other consensus sentiment Monday – from Adams, Granato, and Dahlin himself – is that he is only getting started. Dahlin said as much last season, after playing through injuries down the stretch as the Sabres pushed for a spot in the playoffs.

“Every single minute, every single shift, I’ve got to be on the top to be able to compete with the best,” he said. “It takes a lot, but I’m ready for it.”