BUFFALO, N.Y. — There’s no question that in four seasons Rasmus Dahlin hasn’t lived up to the hype as a generational player, but folks, it’s nowhere near time to call him a bust.
Yes, the two plays against the Seattle Kraken that resulted in two shorthanded goals against them in the first period were horrible mistakes, but what gets lost in all that is the two games before that, he played very well. That is the problem though because he’s a little bullheaded and reverts back to trying to do too much when a huge error is made.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato talked about the giveaway on the second shorthanded goal. Victor Olofsson was wide open in the right circle, but Dahlin feels it’s up to him to make up for the first one and he tries to do too much. That is what the coaching staff is trying to shake out of him.
It blows my mind that many people on Twitter write me and say he needs to be more physical. What? That’s not even a problem on the radar. For those of you that think the game is still played like the Broad Street Bullies, you need to catch up. Dahlin was not drafted to hit people and he never will.
What Dahlin needs to do is the same thing Dylan Cozens needs to do, get stronger. Cozens is 20-years-old and Dahlin is 21-years-old. They haven’t grown into what will be their adult bodies yet.
Dahlin can avoid the first shorthanded goal if he gets stronger in the lower body and doesn’t let himself be knocked off the puck so easily. It will also help him when he goes to battle in front and along the walls.
Granato is not going to bench him or send him to Rochester so get that out of your heads. What you do need to get in your head is now is not the time to give up on Dahlin. Tage Thompson is a perfect example. He’s finally becoming the player many thought he could be at 24-years-old. Jacoby Bryson is 24; Casey Mittelstadt didn’t get it until he was 23-years-old.
The great Victor Hedman didn’t breakout into the great defenseman he’s become until he was 23-years-old. Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar were 21-years-old.
You are going to be frustrated when the mistakes are made, but most of you know nothing about this kid. To say he’s not trying or doesn’t care just shows ignorance of somebody you don’t know.
Dahlin cares so much that it hurts him. His frustration grows so much after a major error, he sometimes freezes trying not to make another and then he goes into superstar mode trying to make up for it and everything then snowballs.
None of us know if he’s going to be able to overcome that. If he does, there’s a huge rewarded waiting for the Buffalo Sabres, but at age 21, it’s not even close to the time for drastic action.
