Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) – After the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin went back home to Sweden, having been nominated, but not winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman and the Masterton Trophy, exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.
It was the first time Dahlin has been in the top-three in either category, and with the growth he showed during this extremely difficult season, I don't think it'll be the last.
This was the first time in his career Dahlin played in the playoffs, and he felt he had mixed results.
“It took me a couple of games to realize it's not that big of a deal," Dahlin openly admitted during his end-of-season press conference. "Everybody talks about playoffs, that you need experience and this and that. But at the end of the day, it's just hockey. It's high compete hockey, and once me, and we realized that, we just went out there and played.
Dahlin also felt the players in Buffalo realized they're a legit team that can do damage in this league. It's something he and his teammates are still processing and learning from.
“We definitely took a step in the right direction," Dahlin said. "We've really grown as an organization, as a team, as individuals. It's a sour taste in your mouth after that [Game 7] loss [to Montreal], but in the big picture, we've done some good things this year. I'm excited for the future.”
The Sabres had every opportunity to win the series against the Canadiens, and move on to the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. But three home losses in four games killed them.
Dahlin says the Game 7 overtime loss should fuel the fire this offseason for many.
“It's definitely going to be a motivator," he said. "At the end of the day, we didn't even come halfway during the playoffs, and we know how hard it is to win.
“Game 7, it's one shot that decides the whole season, and we could've scored a little earlier and the season would've been still going. So I'm sure everybody is going to go back to their places and train really hard.”
While the Sabres were in Calgary back in December, head coach Lindy Ruff met with his leaders, and then Rasmus Dahlin had those same players go out with him for some tough conversations. Buffalo was in last place in the Eastern Conference at the time, and the captain was pretty blunt.
“The meetings and team building stuff we had, and us coming together as a group and realizing, 'OK, we can bitch about so many things, but it's us players that have to do it. We have to get better.' And when we really, really realized that on a deep level, things changed, and we started being more accountable to each other,” Dahlin recalled.
So what exactly did Dahlin mean by that?
"It's everything," he explained. "You can only imagine that when you're doing great, everything else is the problem. 'Not me. He is not doing the right thing, or this or that.' But when you look at yourself in the mirror, that's what it comes down to.”
This team had a 30-point turnaround from last season, and Ruff gets his share of the credit. Dahlin says there a certain things Ruff does as a coach that he likes.
“He's so good at pushing us. There's no time for f'ing around. You gotta be uncomfortable every day, and I think that's what really helped with us as a group too, and that brought a lot of success for sure,” Dahlin said.
We all know what happened with Dahlin and his fiancée Carolina Matovac last offseason. She almost died multiple times with heart failure, and then received a heart transplant. None of us know what that was like for them, and now Dahlin can look back at the support he got.
“I can't be more thankful for everything with the stuff I went through," he said. "It seemed like the whole city had my back, and the team and the organization, I felt a lot of love, honestly. I can't be more thankful, and I do really appreciate it.”
All professional athletes work hard in their offseason, because they wouldn't be where the are today if they weren't trying to get better. Dahlin is certainly no different.
“I'm excited to get back in the gym, get more explosive, get faster, have better condition, be able to play higher quality in higher minutes. But I think my explosiveness has to get better," Dahlin said candidly.
Dahlin came in third in voting for the Norris Trophy behind Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and winner Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets). He lost out on the Masterton Trophy to Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
