The Buffalo Sabers signed star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to an eight-year contract extension Monday morning.
Dahlin will receive $88 million, an annual average of $11 million. His contract will come into effect from the 2024-2025 season and will end at the end of the 2031-2032 campaign. Dahlin is currently in the final year of a three-year contract at an average annual salary of $6 million.
“I couldn’t be happier right now,” Dahlin said during a press briefing Monday. I wanted to sign the longest contract possible because Buffalo is my home and this is where I want to play.
“I’m glad to have everything sorted before the start of the season so I can just focus on my game.”
Next season, Dahlin will become the second highest paid defenseman in the NHL with an average of $11 million per season, along with Drew Doughty. Only Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million in annual average) has a greater impact on the payroll.
The first overall pick in the 2018 draft, Dahlin has become a key part of the Buffalo Sabres’ promising future. After relatively steady progress during the first four seasons of his career, the 23-year-old defenseman exploded offensively with 15 goals and 73 points in 78 games last season.
Already a young veteran in the NHL with his experience of 355 games, Dahlin totals 46 goals and 187 assists for 233 points in the Bettman circuit.
From the start of training camp, Dahlin said he was convinced that the Sabers will be able to do well and get back into the race for a playoff spot.
” It’s time. I mean, we have no more excuses,” he said.
Dahlin is the second Sabers defenseman to agree to a long-term contract, after Mattias Samuelsson agreed to a seven-year deal in October 2022.
In addition to Dahlin and Samuelsson, the Sabers can count on the presence of Owen Power to complete their core on the blue line.
Last season, the Sabers finished the campaign with a record of 42-33-7. They finished fifth in the Atlantic and missed the playoffs by one point.
