Rasmus Dahlin doesn’t want to be traded, but Sabres must do better by their captain
As captain, Dahlin should be having honest conversations with management about the direction of the team.
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Last week, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin and general manager Kevyn Adams had an hour-long meeting to discuss the state of the team ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
On Tuesday morning, Paul Bissonnette said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast that Dahlin told Adams if things don’t change quickly he’s going to want out of Buffalo. He added that Dahlin is “fed up with some of the negligence that’s gone on for far too long since he stepped into that organization.” Dahlin took exception with that framing of the meeting when asked about it after the Sabres’ practice on Tuesday.
“No, I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Dahlin said. “I’ve never said I want out of here. I’m not happy with where we’re at and I don’t want to lose. We have to get better, but I never said I want out of here. I thought that was pretty clear.
“That bugs me. I get pissed off by that. I haven’t even mentioned the word leave. That’s just how it is.”
Prior to the start of last season, Dahlin signed an eight-year contract worth $11 million per season. The Sabres named him captain at the start of this season. After battling through a back injury early in the season, he’s been Buffalo’s best and most competitive player. He has 51 points in 55 games while averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game. When Dahlin is on the ice at five-on-five, the Sabres have 55 percent of the expected goals, the best mark of Dahlin’s career. There isn’t a single player more important to the present and future of the Sabres than Dahlin, and he wants to be part of the reason the Sabres win again.
Sabres fans have understandable fear with stories like this after seeing the worst-case scenario play out with Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Players get burnt out by losing, and the Sabres have done a lot of that during the league’s longest active playoff drought. As captain, Dahlin should be having honest conversations with management about the direction of the team. And while he refuted the idea that he threatened to ask for a trade if things don’t change, Dahlin didn’t deny that he’s frustrated.
“We have to do a lot of stuff,” Dahlin said. “It takes everyday work. You have to do hard work every day. We had a really good discussion. We were very honest with each other. Stuff has to change. That’s how it is. I absolutely hate losing. I don’t think that’s a part of who I want to be. Stuff has to change.
“I’m part of it. I haven’t been good enough. We haven’t won games. I take responsibility, too. Stuff has to change. That’s the bottom line.”
When speaking on Friday, Adams volunteered that he and Dahlin met ahead of the trade deadline. That’s part of a regular dialogue Adams has with his captain. This is Dahlin’s seventh season with the Sabres. He never played in the playoffs and is on his fourth head coach. Dahlin should be frustrated, and he should be pressing Adams for answers. That’s far better than a captain complacent with losing.
“The fans, you guys maybe don’t see a different side of him,” Adams said last week of his meeting with Dahlin. “He’s incredibly intelligent and thoughtful in the way he approaches things. And he asks a lot of questions. What he and I talk a lot about is how does he balance what he does on the ice, off the ice, all of those types of things. I think the frustration you’re referring to is also what makes him elite because he’s so competitive. I told him and I’ll share this with everyone because I think it’s important, I told him, you’re our biggest minutes guy every night but you’re also one of two and three guys that I would say work the absolute hardest in practice. You guys are at practice. You watch how hard he goes in every drill and competes. I said, ‘We need 23 of that.’ We need this mentality of absolute competitive and that’s where he’s maturing. I believe the way he is is going to drag more guys into the fight. Man, I respect that about him. His talent is his talent. But I just think the other stuff is what makes him so special.”
While Dahlin said he hasn’t threatened to leave, Adams and Sabres owner Terry Pegula can’t be naive about the potential of other players getting fed up with losing. Adams acknowledged that last week and said, “It is something I think about and it’s something I think if you ignore you can be in trouble.”
This is the risk in Pegula maintaining the status quo. The Sabres have restricted free agents in JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn. Alex Tuch is eligible for a contract extension this summer. While refuting the recent Peterka trade rumors, Adams mentioned that he also needs to explain to Peterka how he’s going to make this team better. The same goes for the other restricted free agents and Tuch. Is Adams’ presence and plan going to inspire those players to commit more years of their career to this organization?
Adams’ plan was enough to convince Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker to sign, so maybe there’s enough belief in that room that this team is close to contending. But players can only handle so much losing before they reach a breaking point. The honeymoon phase of this rebuild is long over.
“If guys don’t want to be here you can’t really do anything about it,” Dahlin said. “But I don’t see that in this room. We have a lot of really good competitors who want to turn this around. That’s what gives me the most hope.”
The fact that Pegula empowered Adams to make the Dylan Cozens trade was an indication that Adams’ fifth season as general manager won’t be his last. When Adams spoke on Friday, he talked about fixing things and had an eye toward next season. He didn’t sound like someone on the hot seat.
The Sabres have a strong chance to pick in the top five of the NHL Draft and will enter the summer with more than $22 million in cap space. With their restricted free agents and Tuch’s potential contract, decisions that get made this summer will have major ramifications on the direction of this franchise. The Sabres have also tested the patience of their fan base far too long, and attendance has reflected that. How long does Adams get to fix this? And what will the future of this team look like if he’s unable to do it? That’s what Pegula needs to be thinking about as he watches the final 19 games of another lost Sabres season.