Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters last Friday that he and Dahlin had met a few days prior regarding the state of the team. Adams brought up the meeting in response to a question about Dahlin’s on-ice frustration as it translates to penalties.
“I just had a long sit down with Rasmus a couple days ago for an hour in my office,” Adams said. “… He's incredibly intelligent and thoughtful in the way he approaches things, and he asks a lot of questions. What he and I talk a lot about is how does he balance what he does on the ice, off the ice, all those types of things.”
Dahlin echoed Adams in expressing his disappointment with the Sabres’ season, which finds them 14 points out of the playoffs with 19 games remaining. But the Sabres captain insisted he remains committed to being a part of the solution moving forward.
Dahlin signed an eight-year extension with the Sabres in October 2023 and was named captain prior to this season. In October he launched the Rasmus Dahlin Foundation, which is dedicated specifically to helping children in Western New York.
“It’s my city now,” Dahlin said at the time. “It’s where I grew up. I want to help the Buffalo community the same way it’s helped me.”
Asked how he can prevent the team’s struggles from wearing on his teammates, Dahlin said he believes his fellow members of the Sabres remain committed, too.
“If guys don’t want to be here, then you don’t want to be here,” he said. “You can’t really do anything about it. But I don’t see that in this room. We have a lot of really, really good competitors who want to turn this around. That what gives me the most hope.”
He added: “The guys are willing to do whatever it takes to get better. We have had a lot of discussion lately of what we have to do and how we have to move forward. And we’re definitely not happy where we’re at.”
Here’s more from Tuesday’s practice at KeyBank Center.
