The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to an eight-year, $88-million contract extension on Monday. The deal carries an average annual value of $11 million beginning in the 2024-25 season, which will tie him with Drew Doughty as the second-highest-paid blueliner in the NHL.
Dahlin enjoyed a career year in 2022-23, scoring 15 goals with 58 assists. His 73 points were the third-highest mark by a defenseman in Sabres history. He led the Sabres in blocked shots and finished second on the team in hits. He also ranked fourth among all NHL players in total ice time despite missing four games.
The first-overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft expressed his desire to remain with the Sabres long-term at the outset of training camp.
“I love the city. I love the team. I love everything,” Dahlin said last month.
Dahlin has 46 goals and 187 assists in 355 career games over his five seasons. He is one of 12 defensemen in NHL history to hit the 200-point mark before turning 23.
“First of all, I grew up here as a man,” Dahlin told reporters after practice Monday.
“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. So I’m actually very, very happy about those years.”
The Swede’s offensive skills turn plenty of heads but his intangibles have really impressed his teammates, including Sabres captain Kyle Okposo.
“He’s so competitive,” Okposo said, via NHL.com. “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 was scheduled to hit restricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. He’ll carry a $6-million cap hit this season as he enters the final year of a three-year, $18-million pact he signed ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. He joins forwards Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson as core Sabres players locked up on at least seven-year extensions.
“We know we have a player in Rasmus Dahlin that we think will continue to get better for at least the next nine years,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “And I think it sends a big statement to our team, our fans, of the commitment (ownership) made, and what he means to this organization.”
After missing the postseason by one point last season, Buffalo is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
