Columbus Blue Jackets Staring Down the Barrel: Sabres and Wings
Let’s Talk about Number One
Lansing Murphy: A ton of new faces in Buffalo, most notably the number one overall pick, Rasmus Dahlin. How has the rookie played in his first ten games?
Jacob Strozyk: Rasmus Dahlin has handled his responsibilities with poise. While he hasn’t seen a lot of hard ice time yet, he is finding ways to succeed.
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What’s most promising is his obvious chemistry with star forward Jack Eichel and his ability to read any situation on the ice. It won’t be long before he is the unquestioned number one defender listed on the Sabre’s blue line.
Rob Berger: I have been impressed with Rasmus Dahlin’s start. After playing over 22 minutes in his first game, his nightly minutes have decreased but Dahlin continues to improve. He definitely hasn’t been thrown into the fire yet though.
Dahlin hasn’t seen the ice on the penalty kill, he has highest percentage of offensive zone starts on the team, and he has primarily played against the competition’s second and third lines. He has however become the team’s number two defenseman on the power play and is leading all Sabres defensemen in CF%. Overall, a pretty good start for the 18-year-old defenseman.