Buffalo Sabres and NHL 2024-2025

[BillsFan4]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5797238/2024/09/26/rasmus-dahlin-buffalo-sabres-captain/  (subscription needed, or no Java script…😉 😉)

 

Quote

Why Dahlin is the logical choice

 

This franchise has been looking for stable leadership, and Dahlin has a chance to become that person. He’s Buffalo’s best player, having combined for 132 points the last two seasons while playing a heavy workload against opponents’ best players. But he’s also the Sabres’ most competitive player. He grew more comfortable, especially last season, calling out teammates behind closed doors when necessary. He was also the one who brought the team together. After signing his contract, Dahlin bought a bigger house in Buffalo and regularly used it to host team parties. He even had rookie Zach Benson live with him for the season after the 18-year-old made the NHL roster. Over the summer, Dahlin gathered teammates for a player-led camp in Switzerland. He’s always been a leader by example but has managed to grow into vocal leadership as well. “He’s got fire,” Ruff said.

Quote

Dahlin won’t have to lead on his own, though. Ruff also announced that Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson and Mattias Samuelsson will serve as alternate captains on a rotating basis. Dahlin has a tendency to try to put the weight of the team on his shoulders, especially when things aren’t going well. Ruff doesn’t want that to continue.

“His teammates have to step up,” Ruff said. “You talk about that group we just talked about, that’s the group that needs to step up and say, ‘It’s not on you, it’s on us.’ This is an us thing. It’s not fair that he wants to carry the weight on his shoulders. Let’s divvy up that weight and split it amongst ourselves including the coaching staff and make sure it’s a we thing when things are good and it’s a we thing when maybe you lose a couple.”

 

Edited 4 hours ago by BillsFan4