Buffalo’s No. 1 pick doing his best to ignore best-ever buzz
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rasmus Dahlin nods his head acknowledging he’s familiar with the name when Scotty Bowman comes up in conversation. The 18-year-old is then taken aback upon hearing what the Hockey Hall of Fame coach had to say about the Buffalo Sabres’ rookie defenceman.
For all the accolades the Swedish-born player received upon being drafted first overall in June, Dahlin paused briefly upon hearing the nine-time Stanley Cup-winner believes he has the potential to be the best defenceman in Sabres’ history.
“Of course that’s fun to hear, but I’m just 18 years old and I have many years in front of me,” Dahlin said.
“I can’t think in that way. I just need to work as hard as I can to be as good as I can.”
Moments later, Dahlin noted he still hasn’t even made the roster yet.
“We’ll see,” he said. Perhaps someone in the Sabres’ front-office might want to break the good news by informing Dahlin his spot is secure for Buffalo’s opener against Boston on Thursday.
Bowman had little doubt after watching Dahlin during a prospects tournament earlier this month; Dahlin wowed the 1,800 fans packing the Sabres practice facility by fearlessly jumping into the rush and showing off his playmaking abilities with two goals and an assist against New Jersey.
His first goal came after he danced around a defender and snapped a shot through a crowd. The second came on a two-on-one break, during which he raced into the left circle to convert a rebound.
“He’ll have some growing pains, but he’s got a terrific shot,” Bowman said later.
“He’s got what they call a nose for the net. Bobby Orr did that.”
Bowman, who spent sixplus seasons coaching in Buffalo, then ran down the list of Sabres’ defensive greats, such as current coach and Hall of Famer Phil Housley, Jim Schoenfeld, Jerry Korab and Mike Ramsey.
“He’s only 18, but I think in about two to three seasons, if he continues at the same level that he has in Sweden, the Sabres could be looking at a career defenceman,” he said.
The Sabres, who haven’t made the playoffs in seven seasons and finished last in the standings for the third time in five years, are certainly counting on it.
“We see the potential, too,” general manager Jason Botterill said. “The bottom line is, it’s our job to develop him.”
Dahlin will endure his growing pains, which were evident during pre-season games in which he displayed some nerves while also getting accustomed to the smaller North American ice surface. There were occasions in which he was too cavalier with the puck, including being stripped by veteran Patrick Marleau of Toronto last week.
More apparent is how the smooth-skating, no-look-passing youngster can provide a playmaking element severely lacking among Buffalo’s defencemen a year ago.
Sabres blue-liners combined for a league-worst 19 goals last season. Things were so anemic Buffalo didn’t get its first goal from a defenceman until 28 games in, when Jake McCabe scored on Dec. 5.
Dahlin is decisive in breaking out of his own zone. He has an effortless stickhandling ability and he’s instinctive in knowing when to join the rush without being reckless.
He is soft-spoken, in part because he’s still getting a grasp of the English language. As for hockey, he said, it’s a game he always wanted to play growing up in Trollhattan, not far from Sweden’s west coast.
Though Dahlin makes the game look easy, he said that’s far from how it has been.
“I always played with older guys, so it’s never been that easy,” said Dahlin.
“It’s always been a challenge for me to make the team and stuff like that. I think the challenge makes me motivated.”
Now he’s on the cusp of playing in the NHL.
“This is my dream,” Dahlin said. “And I really want to make the team.”