BUFFALO, N.Y. — A few seasons ago it was pretty obvious that general manager Kevyn Adams and then head coach Don Granato were convinced that Rasmus Dahlin should be the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres.
I had my doubts partially because Dahlin was frustrated at his own play and it showed on the ice. I just didn't think he had the maturity for it.
I can remember the moment where I started to think that maybe it was a good idea. Dahlin has the intensity in games and practices, and he was starting to assert himself in practice. If a player did a drill wrong, he would get in his face and actually go to the front of the line and forcefully show that player how he should be doing the drill. I thought to myself, that absolutely is the type of leadership that this team needs more of.
I was seeing Dahlin dragging himself on the ice for practice, even though he was hurting or nursing an injury. He felt he owed it to his teammates to be out there. The only way Dahlin would miss practice is if Granato told him he had to stay off the ice.
Dahlin told me once that he makes himself sit and watch the Stanley Cup playoffs because it makes him madder and madder having to watch and not participate. The fire burns in this guy to win, and the Sabres need a leader that can convey that to the rest of the room. Lindy Ruff can only do so much, but it falls on the players to hold each other accountable and lead by example.
I could also see a change in the room when we were in there. Dahlin is now more of a central figure in the dressing room. He’s not afraid to tell players what he thinks, and he’s not afraid to have fun with them either.
This summer it may not have seemed like much when Dahlin invited some teammates to join him in Switzerland for fun, but also for a week of on-ice practices together. To me, those are the types of things that leaders do.
I think many of these players were too afraid to get into a teammate's face because they are a very close group, and they didn’t want to offend. Led by Dahlin, it seems like they’ve finally figured out that it’s not a personal attack. They know they can get into a player because it’s coming from a place of helping the team get better. They also know that when it’s over, they can still leave the room and be good friends afterwards.
I’ve always felt Dylan Cozens should be the next captain of the Sabres, and I still think he would’ve been an excellent choice. I just think at this point in both their careers, Dahlin will have more of the attention from the players.
I also believe that this responsibility will make Dahlin a better player. Don’t get me wrong, he is a fantastic player and a rare talent, but when the Sabres took him first overall, they expected to have a player that would be one of the best defensemen in the NHL. The NHL Network ranked the defensemen and Dahlin was 11th, and I didn’t disagree with that.
Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks was second, and he should not be a better defenseman than Dahlin, and if Dahlin takes the next step, which I think he’s capable of, Hughes won’t be better. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is a different story. He plays on a much better team with much better players, and his style isn’t the same as Dahlin’s.
I think the choice of four alternate captains was solid with Tuch, Cozens, Tage Thompson, and Mattias Samuelsson.
This is now the leadership group of this team. Not counting James Reimer, Jason Zucker is the oldest player on this team at 32. Sam Lafferty and Connor Clifton are next at 29, and then there’s Tuch and a few others at 28.
It’s time for Dahlin and some of the guys that are considered "young players” to take over. This is their team. They’ve been in the NHL long enough, and it’s up to them to get this team back to what it was when Ryan Miller, Dominik Hasek, Danny Briere, Chris Drury, Rob Ray, and Michael Peca played.
Dahlin now has the responsibility to be the man at the front of the line, and he has definitely earned that right.