DAHLIN READY TO BE A SABRE
Projected No. 1 pick getting feel for Buffalo at NHL Combine ahead of June 22 draft
Rasmus Dahlin looked right at home in what’s expected to be his new home Friday afternoon.
The Buffalo Sabres won’t make it official until general manager Jason Botterill steps to the microphone and announces the No. 1 pick at the NHL Entry Draft June 22 in Dallas. But the Swedish superstar defenceman declared he’s ready for takeoff immediately.
Speaking to a massive crowd of reporters during a media availability at the KeyBank Center, Dahlin, 18, the consensus top pick in the draft, noted he has enjoyed this week in Buffalo and is thrilled it won’t be long before he’s selected at the American Airlines Arena.
“My season went so good and I learned so many things,” Dahlin said. “I think I’m ready right now to play in the NHL and we’ll see what the team picks me has to say but it’s just really, really exciting.”
Dahlin said he can see himself joining the Sabres.
“Of course, nothing is done now,” Dahlin said. “I have to wait until the draft and see what’s coming up but if I’m coming here, I’d love to be here. I’ve heard they have great fans and everybody loves hockey here so it seems like Buffalo is a great city.
“I’m just enjoying my time here. I’ve been doing some meetings and testing and the time here has been great. I’m so excited for the draft.”
He noted his interview with Buffalo didn’t differ a whole lot from the other teams that opted to meet with Dahlin, even though they know he isn’t going to be available. Coach Phil Housley wasn’t in the interview the Sabres did with him.
“They just want to know who I am and what I like to do off the ice and all that kind of stuff,” said Dahlin, who admitted he’s a little nervous.
Dan Marr, the NHL’s director of Central Scouting, knows Dahlin is going to be a differencemaker and was asked if the league was excited that a Swede will go in the top spot. The last time that happened was 1989 when Mats Sundin went to the Quebec Nordiques.
“He’s just the top prospect,” Marr said.
“We rank them separately, North American and internationally, but he is just the undisputed top prospect. It doesn’t matter what country or what position they play, that’s it.
“It’s a compliment to the development programs that they have in Sweden and the way he’s been developed along the way here. He’s been on the accelerated development but his status hasn’t been accelerated. He hasn’t been put on a pedestal. You could see when he was with the men’s team. He wasn’t thrown into the fire and he had to earn his ice time. That’s a nice way to develop a young prospect.”
ZADINA WILL BE BUSY
It’s going to be a whirlwind few days for Filip Zadina.
After spending the week in Buffalo, he’ll finish the NHL Combine Saturday with the difficult fitness testing and then he’ll accompany some of the top prospects to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights Monday in Washington.
The Halifax Mooseheads forward is highly regarded by the Ottawa Senators — general manager Pierre Dorion watched him more than once last season — and will make a stop in the nation’s capital Tuesday.
“The meeting was good and I’m flying to Ottawa on Tuesday to see the GM (Dorion) and the coaching staff,” Zadina said.
He wouldn’t mind being drafted by the Senators one bit.
“I’ve been there once when we played in Gatineau. It’s awesome, it’s unbelievable and it’d be great to play there for sure,” Zadina said.
Zadina met with 12 teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, while he was here but doesn’t have any idea where he might be selected because nobody showed their cards.
“Every single team had the same questions. They weren’t (being) obvious (about their interest) they just had straight poker faces and so we’ll see what happens in Dallas,” Zadina said.
THE LAST WORDS
There’s plenty of talk about teams trying to move up in the draft and one of those could be the Detroit Red Wings. Speculation is the Wings would like to move into the top-three from the No. 6 position and may be dangling the first-round selection the club obtained from the Vegas Golden Knights at the deadline. Should be interesting to watch because the Carolina Hurricanes have already declared they’re willing to listen ... Nobody is sure what the order of the three forwards in the draft is going to be but the belief is Brady Tkachuk of Boston, Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts and Zadina may go in the top four in some way, shape or form. The trio is highly regarded. “They all bring something different,” said Marr. “When I look at Svechnikov, he can bring that power-forward game but he’s an offensive threat every time he’s on the ice. Zadina is the type of player that he’s got that finishing ability and the knack to be open on the power (play). Brady Tkachuk is a very complete player and he’s the type of player that is a difference maker.”