Rasmus Dahlin

Dahlin notched a career-high 20 goals and supplied 59 points in 81 games during the 2023-24 campaign. The Sabres plummeted from third overall in goals per game in 2022-23 to 23rd last season. That resulted in a 14-point decrease for Dahlin, who still managed to co-lead the team in offensive production. The 24-year-old was one of just four blueliners to hit the 20-goal mark in 2023-24. He also accumulated 235 shots on net, 154 blocked shots and 195 hits in 81 outings. Dahlin logs big minutes in all situations, and his multi-category coverage has made him a top-10 fantasy defenseman. Potential fantasy managers should expect more of the same in 2024-25.

Dahlin can now firmly be called one of the league's top defensemen. After recording 13 goals and 53 points in 80 contests during the 2021-22 campaign, he set career highs in goals (15), points (73), PIM (92), shots (204) and blocked shots (132) in 78 outings last season. He was also credited with 105 hits and, for the first time in his career, he finished with a positive plus-minus rating (12). This kind of potential was always seen in Dahlin and although it's taken him some time to reach this point, the defenseman is still just 23 years old, so he should be able to stay at this level for years to come.

Fantasy managers waiting for Dahlin's offensive breakout were finally rewarded a season ago. The 2018 No. 1 pick finished with career-best marks in goals (13), assists (40), points (53), hits (121), average time on ice (24:02), and power-play points (21). Dahlin added 68 penalty minutes and 91 blocks for good measure. The lone blemish on Dahlin's season was the fact he finished with a minus-22 rating, but even that was better than the minus-36 mark he posted a year prior. Buffalo might not improve enough this coming year for Dahlin to be a plus player, but he brings so much offense to the table that he remains a highly sought after fantasy option regardless.

Dahlin was the poster boy for what was the Buffalo Sabres' trainwreck of a 2020-21 season. The former No. 1 overall pick (2018) finished the year with five goals and 23 points in 56 games, in addition to a mind-numbing minus-36 rating. 11 of Dahlin's points came with the man advantage, but his (and his team's) defensive struggles left him unplayable in many fantasy leagues. Dahlin's talent isn't in question, there has never been a first overall pick without elite physical gifts, but Buffalo is widely expected to trade their best player (Jack Eichel) before next season begins and they're currently set to roll with the duo of Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell in goal. In short, don't be surprised if Dahlin posts another horrific plus-minus rating, so look elsewhere if your fantasy league emphasizes that category.

Dahlin missed 10 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season due to injury, but he was highly productive when healthy, racking up four goals, 36 assists, 19 power-play points and 90 shots on goal in 59 games. The first overall pick from the 2018 draft will only be 20 years old when the 2020-21 campaign gets underway, so it's safe to assume he's hardly scratched the surface in terms of his potential at this stage of his career. The Sabres made several major moves to improve their offense this offseason, adding Taylor Hall via free agency and Eric Staal via a trade, so Dahlin's offensive production should not only continue to improve due to his growth as a player during the upcoming campaign, but also due to his improved supporting cast. A double-digit goal, 55-plus point pace isn't out of the question for Dahlin in his third NHL season, making him an attractive secondary option at defense for fantasy managers.

Dahlin was billed as a generational prospect on the blue line, so expectations were naturally high for 2018's first-overall selection. Considering defensemen usually take longer to adjust at the top level, it's hard to complain about Dahlin's 44-point rookie season at 18 years of age. He proved to be an effective power-play quarterback with 20 points with the man advantage, and the Swedish teenager's minus-13 rating can be chalked up mostly to the subpar team around him. That last problem could haunt Dahlin again in Year 2, but his tremendous skill set and limitless potential trump the negatives that come with playing for a perennially underachieving Sabres club.

The best defensive prospect to enter the league since Victor Hedman in 2009, Dahlin joins forwards Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and fellow defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to form the core of the Sabres moving forward. The 18-year-old rearguard will be counted upon for immediate production and there is no reason to believe he won't deliver. A true franchise-altering talent in every sense of the word, there isn't a single aspect of the game in which Dahlin -- the first overall pick from the 2018 draft -- doesn't excel. The mobile Swede is likely to begin the season on Buffalo's second defensive pair so coach Phil Housley can split up he and Ristolainen. There will be bumps along the way, but given how much playing time he is likely to receive, a dozen goals and 35-plus points are achievable goals for Dahlin in his rookie campaign. Dynasty owners need to invest immediately and heavily.