Don Granato won’t have to wait long to have a prominent member of the Buffalo Sabres’ core on the ice at training camp.
Rasmus Dahlin, the recent recipient of a three-year, $18 million contract, is expected to practice with the Sabres in front of fans in LECOM Harborcenter on Friday after missing the first two days of on-ice sessions.
The 21-year-old defenseman arrived in Buffalo on Wednesday, hours after his agents and the Sabres agreed to terms on the contract, but he had to go through the NHL’s Covid-19 testing protocols Thursday.
“I’m excited,” declared General Manager Kevyn Adams. “This is a great signing for him to come in, now have the ability to continue to grow, to continue to get better. As talented as Rasmus is, and I say that about all our guys, doesn’t matter what age, but when you’re that age and already have had that much experience and you’re still that young, this is an amazing opportunity for him to take the next step in his career.”
Dahlin ascended to a first-pairing role under Granato during the final weeks of last season, leading the Sabres in 5-on-5 ice time across the final 20 games. He ranked second in on-ice shot quality share and offensive-zone starts at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. He also totaled three goals with eight assists for 11 points while averaging 23:16 of ice time during that span.
The performance was in stark contrast to how he performed during the first half of the season with Ralph Krueger as coach. Dahlin ranked fourth among all Sabres defensemen in 5-on-5 shot-attempt differential and totaled a team-worst minus-21 goal differential while shouldering the second-most defensive-zone starts. Granato increased Dahlin’s minutes, decreased his defensive responsibilities and encouraged the left-shot defenseman to use his talent with the puck to spark the club’s offense.
The strong finish led to a long contract negotiation, as the Sabres weren’t prepared to make the type of financial commitment other top young defensemen have received in recent months, most notably Cale Makar’s six-year, $54 million contract with Colorado. Dahlin has experienced more ups and downs since beginning his NHL career in 2018, but he’s been negatively impacted by a lack of support and coaching turnover.
Still, Dahlin’s 50 power-play points rank ninth among all NHL defensemen. Drafted first overall in 2018, Dahlin has 18 goals and 107 points in 197 games for a franchise that has a 10-year playoff drought, tied for the longest in league history.
“I think it gives us an opportunity to set him up moving forward,” Adams said. “I’m glad he wasn’t a holdout and having to miss and then play catch-up. But I do think you’re right, for him, he thought an opportunity where he could come in and get better and grow and push for the next one.”
Notable absences
Jack Quinn, the Sabres’ first-round draft choice in 2020, did not practice Thursday after missing the final game of the Prospects Challenge over the weekend. The Sabres are calling this “load management” for Quinn after he underwent hernia surgery in April. Adams expressed hope that Quinn can skate with the team Friday.
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson’s chances of making the Sabres’ roster took a hit, as the 21-year-old is “week to week,” according to Adams, with a lower-body injury suffered when blocking a shot last Friday during the opening game of the Prospects Challenge.
Winger Brandon Biro remains out with an undisclosed injury and is considered day to day.
Vaccination rate
The Sabres enter training camp with a 100% vaccination rate, Adams said. Although the NHL is reportedly approximately 98% vaccinated, unvaccinated players won’t be able to cross the Canada border. Detroit Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi is the most notable unvaccinated player who will be impacted by the league’s protocols. Players won't be paid for any games missed as a result of being unvaccinated.
"Once they said they weren’t going to file for the exemption to go to Canada, it really put a lot of pressure on the people that were holding out because that’s a huge chunk of the season that you’re not going to get paid for," said Okposo. "It’s funny what happens when you start to affect people’s wallets."
Center void
With Jack Eichel out and Sam Reinhart gone, the Sabres’ top five centers at the start of training camp are Casey Mittelstadt, Dylan Cozens, Cody Eakin, Zemgus Girgensons and Arttu Ruotsalainen. Girgensons, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player, hasn’t played much center since 2016-17, and Ruotsalainen was a winger for Buffalo last season.
Goalies
The two practice groups include a mix of NHL and AHL players. The gold group had goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Craig Anderson and Michael Houser, and the blue group had Aaron Dell, Dustin Tokarski and Mat Robson.
