Rasmus Dahlin’s Hall of Fame case no longer feels like a future conversation. It’s here now.
The Buffalo Sabres captain took a major leap in 2025-26, and the team finally climbed with him. Buffalo shook off a slow start, won the Atlantic Division and punched its first playoff ticket in 15 years. The run lasted into the second round before the Montreal Canadiens ended it in seven games, but the season still marked a real shift for both the franchise and its 26-year-old defenseman.
Dahlin’s numbers backed up the buzz. He finished third in Norris Trophy voting after putting up 74 points, with 19 goals and 55 assists, in 77 games. That kind of season was enough to get him onto an annual Hockey Hall of Fame watch list from Peter Baugh and Max Bultman of The Athletic for the first time, where he landed in the “check back in a few years” tier.
"Last summer, a commenter asked about Dahlin, who wasn't on the list," The Athletic writers noted. "We replied that a playoff appearance or another similar individual season to 2024-25 would probably get him into this tier.
Well, the Buffalo Sabres defenseman accomplished both. The 26-year-old finished third in Norris voting, the Sabres made the second round of the playoffs and his Hall of Fame likelihood arrow is pointing up."
That rise didn’t come out of nowhere. Dahlin has been building this résumé for a while, and he kept adding to it after the early-January look at his Hall of Fame case. He’s now at 434 career points, and his smooth skating, hockey sense and all-around game suggest there’s plenty more production coming.
If he stays on his current path, the totals could get eye-opening. Using 68.5 points per season, his average over the last four years, and projecting 12 more seasons, he’d finish around 1,250 points.
That would put him inside the top five all-time among defensemen. Even if he doesn’t get that high, reaching 1,000 points is well within range, and only eight defensemen have ever done it.
Add in team success - for Buffalo and for Team Sweden - and the Hall picture gets even brighter.
The Sabres, at least, are set up better than they’ve been in a long time. They reached the playoffs with one of the league’s youngest rosters and one of the sport’s strongest prospect pools. Dahlin is also locked in through 2031-32 on an $11 million AAV, giving Buffalo some salary-cap breathing room while keeping its star defenseman in place.
There’s another trophy path, too. Dahlin is now positioned to make a serious push for the Norris Trophy in 2026-27, especially after finishing ninth in Hart Trophy voting last season as well.
He had the kind of year that usually gets players noticed, even if awards voters often make them wait their turn. Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets won last season’s Norris after earning votes three previous times, including a second-place finish in 2024-25. Dahlin has now picked up Norris votes in four straight seasons and cracked the top five for the first time.
Buffalo’s blue line changed over the summer when Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he signed a six-year, $75 million extension with a $12.5 million AAV. The Sabres didn’t replace him one-for-one. They brought in Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks and are hoping he can grow into a bigger role, but his 5-foot-10 frame and defensive questions make that far from certain.
That leaves more on Dahlin’s plate, especially in offensive situations and late-game moments when Buffalo is chasing goals. He averaged 24:11 of ice time in 2025-26, which ranked 20th in the NHL, and that number could creep closer to the 26-minute range if his workload grows. Even a small bump in minutes could mean a meaningful bump in production over an 84-game season.
Put it all together - the points, the ice time, the awards traction and the team success - and Dahlin has a real shot to keep climbing. The Norris Trophy is within reach, and with it, another step toward the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
In Other News...
Sabres Organization Faces Another Amerks Coaching Shakeup
Another ripple in the Sabres player-development pipeline is forcing Rochester to adjust again. A former Buffalo player and assistant with the Americans, someone who spent 17 seasons in the organization, has moved on to become head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, opening yet another spot on the Amerks bench for Buffalo to fill.
It is the second coaching vacancy the Sabres have had to address with Rochester this offseason, a reminder of how much turnover can hit the AHL side of an NHL organization at once. Youngstowns move was tied to a broader shuffle of its own, with Ryan Ward leaving for an assistant role with the Providence Bruins, and Buffalo now has another decision to make as it tries to keep the Amerks staff stable. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Could Face One Painful Core Decision If Expansion Returns
The chatter around NHL expansion has picked up again with Atlanta and Houston being discussed as possible landing spots, and for the Sabres that brings an old headache back into view. Any expansion draft would force Buffalo to sort through the kind of core decision teams hope to avoid, balancing established talent, contract status and long-term roster plans while trying to keep the group intact.
On paper, the Sabres would still have a fairly clear sense of who sits near the top of the priority list, especially up front where the protection math gets tricky in a hurry. Defense would pose its own important choices as well, and if expansion ever moves from speculation to reality, Buffalo could be staring at a list that says as much about its future direction as it does about the players it keeps. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan McLeod Gave The Sabres A Huge Boost They Still Need
Ryan McLeods first season in Buffalo gave the Sabres exactly the kind of two-way stability they have been chasing down the middle. The center finished with career highs in assists and points, and his work away from the puck made him more than just a solid depth piece. He was one of the more dependable forwards on the penalty kill, and his defensive impact fit neatly with a team that has spent too much time looking for consistency from its middle six.
The part that keeps his season interesting is how much more there could still be. McLeods faceoff game remains an area to clean up, and that matters for a player expected to shoulder more responsibility as Buffalo sorts out its forward group and contract picture for the seasons ahead. If he can build on what he already provided, the Sabres may have found a player whose value goes well beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]