Rasmus Dahlin keeps climbing the NHL’s blue-line ladder, and the Sabres captain is now getting treated like one of the elite names in the sport.
NHL Network placed Dahlin at No. 4 on its annual “Top 20 Defensemen Right Now” list heading into the 2026-27 season, a jump from No. 7 a year ago. For Buffalo, it’s another public nod to what has become obvious for a while: Dahlin is no longer just the face of the Sabres’ defense. He’s one of the league’s premier defensemen, period.
The ranking comes on the heels of a monster season. Dahlin set a career high with 74 points, scoring 19 goals and adding 55 assists.
That total ranked sixth among NHL defensemen. He also finished third in Norris Trophy voting and earned a spot on the NHL’s Second All-Star Team.
He didn’t stop there once the playoffs arrived. Dahlin helped lead Buffalo to an Atlantic Division title and the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2011, then turned in 14 points in 13 playoff games. His most memorable night came in Game 6 at Montreal, when he delivered a five-point performance to help keep Buffalo alive.
What makes the ranking even more striking is how long Dahlin has been building toward this level. The 26-year-old has been collecting Norris votes every year since 2022-23, and over the last four seasons he’s piled up 71 goals, second among all defensemen, along with 274 points, which ranks fifth at the position.
Buffalo’s roster has changed some this summer, but the Sabres still look built around Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Mattias Samuelsson and the rest of the core. With the 2026-27 season less than two months away, Dahlin is once again sitting near the top of the defenseman conversation.
NHL Network’s full list put Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski and Dahlin in the top four, followed by Miro Heiskanen, Lane Hutson, Matthew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, Mortiz Seider, Evan Bouchard, Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, Adam Fox, Brock Faber, Roman Josi, Josh Morrissey, Jackson LaCombe, Victor Hedman, Shea Theodore and Devon Toews.
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