Does Rasmus Dahlin need a change of Scenery?

[JoeSchmoe]

Honestly, on the offensive side of the puck he's the most entertaining Sabre by far.

I still wish he was moved to F... He would be a regular on the highlight reels. On D one mistake can lead to a GA, so he's limited on using his crazy edges and shiftiness.

Put him on the wing, and it would be non-stop deking teams out of their jock straps.

[inkman]

9 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Honestly, on the offensive side of the puck he's the most entertaining Sabre by far.

I still wish he was moved to F... He would be a regular on the highlight reels. On D one mistake can lead to a GA, so he's limited on using his crazy edges and shiftiness.

Put him on the wing, and it would be non-stop deking teams out of their jock straps.

His skating and shot are nowhere near where they need to be for a forward.  He still has only average speed and a below average shot.  He’d just look like a really slow Max Afinogenov.  

[Stoner]

20 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

He is already a bust;  he'll be traded eventually.

He had a really solid game recently but it's not there.

He'll never be a Norris trophy candidate.

 

 

This is sharp but not far from reality in the minds of 98% of the fan base. A few dozen folks on a message board who are die-hard fanatics will sift through his game to find positives. Rich from Hamburg, who's been around for awhile, knows what he sees. He's usually not wrong.

The average fan was told he'd be a phenomenal offensive wunderkind. They're still waiting to see it on a consistent basis. It's the eye test. Does Dahlin move the meter in terms of wanting to go down to the waterfront to see a fantastic young superstar? Clearly no. They don't care how he uses his inside edge to cross-over and chase the play back up ice — after he tried to bunt a puck out of midair at the blue line and whiffed.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

This is sharp but not far from reality in the minds of 98% of the fan base. A few dozen folks on a message board who are die-hard fanatics will sift through his game to find positives. Rich from Hamburg, who's been around for awhile, knows what he sees. He's usually not wrong.

The average fan was told he'd be a phenomenal offensive wunderkind. They're still waiting to see it on a consistent basis. It's the eye test. Does Dahlin move the meter in terms of wanting to go down to the waterfront to see a fantastic young superstar? Clearly no. They don't care how he uses his inside edge to cross-over and chase the play back up ice — after he tried to bunt a puck out of midair at the blue line and whiffed.

I don’t think it’s 98 per cent, but it’s more than half.

Do you feel the same way Rich does?

[calti]

15 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Honestly, on the offensive side of the puck he's the most entertaining Sabre by far.

I still wish he was moved to F... He would be a regular on the highlight reels. On D one mistake can lead to a GA, so he's limited on using his crazy edges and shiftiness.

Put him on the wing, and it would be non-stop deking teams out of their jock straps.

I like the way you think

[JoeSchmoe]

6 hours ago, inkman said:

His skating and shot are nowhere near where they need to be for a forward.

He won't beat you with speed, but he'll twist you into a pretzel with his edges. No one on the team, F or D can do what he can do.

[msw2112]

Given how he was regarded when he was drafted - a generational player who was the best defenseman in the draft since Dennis Potvin - he has not lived up to expectations.  That said, he's a young, talented guy who should improve with time, age, and seasoning.  I could see his blossoming into a top notch NHL player aligning with the Sabres team emerging into a solid NHL team in 2023. 

I also think that Granato has changed the culture enough that the losing isn't going to weigh on the guys as much as it did the last group, plus, playing an up-tempo, aggressive style is more fun than the Kreguer play-not-to-lose style.  It won't last forever, but if the team can get through this season and finish next year above .500 and in the playoff mix, they should be OK.  If the losing drags on through the rest of this season and the entirety of next season, it will start to weigh on the guys.

[inkman]

21 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

He won't beat you with speed, but he'll twist you into a pretzel with his edges. No one on the team, F or D can do what he can do.

I still don’t see how that translates to success as a forward 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

I still don’t see how that translates to success as a forward 

I don’t either.  Dahlin isn’t a forward in defenseman’s clothing.  He’s an offensive defenseman.

[dudacek]

41 minutes ago, Weave said:

I don’t either.  Dahlin isn’t a forward in defenseman’s clothing.  He’s an offensive defenseman.

And a damn good one. Currently 18 all-time for points by a U22 defenceman, with three months to go.

Should end the season in the top 10. Ahead of Leetch, Karlsson and Potvin.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/stats/all-time?position=d&age=u22

 

 

[French Collection]

11 minutes ago, dudacek said:

And a damn good one. Currently 18 all-time for points by a U22 defenceman, with three months to go.

Should end the season in the top 10. Ahead of Leetch, Karlsson and Potvin.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/stats/all-time?position=d&age=u22

 

 

That is a good screen. Lots of HOFers in the top ten.

The great Miro Heiskanen (I like him by the way, just tired of people raving about him and not Rasmus) is 40th.

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, msw2112 said:

Given how he was regarded when he was drafted - a generational player who was the best defenseman in the draft since Dennis Potvin - he has not lived up to expectations.  That said, he's a young, talented guy who should improve with time, age, and seasoning.  I could see his blossoming into a top notch NHL player aligning with the Sabres team emerging into a solid NHL team in 2023. 

I also think that Granato has changed the culture enough that the losing isn't going to weigh on the guys as much as it did the last group, plus, playing an up-tempo, aggressive style is more fun than the Kreguer play-not-to-lose style.  It won't last forever, but if the team can get through this season and finish next year above .500 and in the playoff mix, they should be OK.  If the losing drags on through the rest of this season and the entirety of next season, it will start to weigh on the guys.

Good post. 

Agree with your conclusion - it's why I'm really hesitant to be in the Bedard sweepstakes and I hope that's not the plan

[Curt]

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

Good post. 

Agree with your conclusion - it's why I'm really hesitant to be in the Bedard sweepstakes and I hope that's not the plan

But it’s not just Bedard, there is Michkov too.  Two generational talents, even if you miss out on 1st, there is a shot at greatness.  There hasn’t been this opportunity to turn around a franchise since 2015............🙃

[Weave]

4 minutes ago, Curt said:

But it’s not just Bedard, there is Michkov too.  Two generational talents, even if you miss out on 1st, there is a shot at greatness.  There hasn’t been this opportunity to turn around a franchise since 2015............🙃

🤮

[dudacek]

People might be interested in what his coach thinks of him.

Donnie with a pretty in-depth take on Dahlin in today's presser.

Starts around 11:40. Recommended watch.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-11222/t-277437090/c-10182957