Is Rasmus Dahlin an idiot?

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
34,214
21,414
Toronto
He's an all-star level player but people really threw around the word generational around way too much around his draft. A generational player should be competing for Hart trophies early on in their careers like Crosby, McDavid and Ovechkin. He's entering year 7 of his career and Noah Dobson has finished just as high in Norris voting (8th) as Dahlin ever has, Bouchard has a 5th place finish, and Quinn Hughes has a Norris.

People forget how up and down development for young defenceman at the NHL level is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: elmaco

CowbellConray

Registered User
Sep 8, 2010
2,524
1,663
He's an all-star level player but people really threw around the word generational around way too much around his draft. A generational player should be competing for Hart trophies early on in their careers like Crosby, McDavid and Ovechkin. He's entering year 7 of his career and Noah Dobson has finished just as high in Norris voting (8th) as Dahlin ever has, Bouchard has a 5th place finish, and Quinn Hughes has a Norris.

People forget how up and down development for young defenceman at the NHL level is.
To be fair, Dahlin had everything you could want in a prospect on the defense. Size, speed, offense, defense, physicality, chippy play, transition play. I dont know that you can find a defensive PROSPECT with his proven skill going into a draft of the past 20 years. That's where generational comes into play. No prospect on defense looked as good as he did, or has since. Dahlin hasn't lived up to generational, but his prospect status wasn't an asinine thing in its time.
 

biturbo19

Registered User
Jul 13, 2010
27,448
12,592
I don't think he's an idiot, but he does play a sometimes overly aggressive style of game and is prone to the odd boneheaded mistake or misjudging of a situation. He's just got the tools to play a riskier style, and the confidence that he can make up for some "ooopsies". Makes him a very fun player to watch imo, but it does come with some head scratching decisions occasionally.

He's still a darn good defenceman though. Right in the conversation at the fringes of the Norris conversation in a good year. His dynamic side is that bigtime on the "plus" side that i think he's capable of sticking around in that tier just short of the absolute elite guys, even while making bigger mistakes than most of the rest of them typically do.
 

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
34,214
21,414
Toronto
To be fair, Dahlin had everything you could want in a prospect on the defense. Size, speed, offense, defense, physicality, chippy play, transition play. I dont know that you can find a defensive PROSPECT with his proven skill going into a draft of the past 20 years. That's where generational comes into play. No prospect on defense looked as good as he did, or has since. Dahlin hasn't lived up to generational, but his prospect status wasn't an asinine thing in its time.
I didn't think he was generational at the time. Generational would generally mean he's competition for Harts within his ELC if he lands. Which wasn't going to be the case, even expecting him to be getting Norris's on his ELC was likely an unrealistic prediction. He wasn't a clearly better prospect than Matthews, Eichel, and MacKinnon. When throwing around generational, it should mean likely to be that they will be in the discussion for best player in the league, regardless of position, which didn't seem like a realistic projection.
 

Pierre Larouche

Registered User
Jan 4, 2009
762
528
Chill. I too can't believe how lucky we are to have Hughes but we don't need to be smug and insert it unnecessarily into unrelated threads.

Dahlin' been completely unsupported by veterans or useful systems, so it's possible he's adopted some terrible habits.

But he's still a superlatively skilled player. Either in Buffalo, or if they stupidly trade him elsewhere, he will be a key part of some long playoff runs eventually.
I agree with you- what a nasty thread to even start.
 

BFLO

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 3, 2015
4,822
4,560
I didn't think he was generational at the time. Generational would generally mean he's competition for Harts within his ELC if he lands. Which wasn't going to be the case, even expecting him to be getting Norris's on his ELC was likely an unrealistic prediction. He wasn't a clearly better prospect than Matthews, Eichel, and MacKinnon. When throwing around generational, it should mean likely to be that they will be in the discussion for best player in the league, regardless of position, which didn't seem like a realistic projection.
So you don't consider Lidstrom to be generational? Seems pretty unfair to say defensemen need to win a hart or Norris on their ELC to be considered generational when the GOAT defensemen didn't win his first Norris until he was 30.



(I'm not saying Dahlin is Lidstrom)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jaska

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
34,214
21,414
Toronto
So you don't consider Lidstrom to be generational? Seems pretty unfair to say defensemen need to win a hart or Norris on their ELC to be considered generational when the GOAT defensemen didn't win his first Norris until he was 30.



(I'm not saying Dahlin is Lidstrom)
Did you forget the name Bobby Orr? Calling Lidstrom the GOAT defender is ridiculous. Great player, but uh, Bobby Orr had 3 Norris's and a Hart by 21.

And, no I don't consider a player who never got a Hart nomination nor won a Pearson/Ted Lindsey generational.
 

Aladyyn

they praying for the death of a rockstar
Apr 6, 2015
18,351
7,710
Czech Republic
Dahlin was considered a generational DEFENSEMAN prospect. The best D prospect since Potvin back in the 70s. Not really the same thing as guys like Crosby or McDavid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sabremike

SoundAndFury

Registered User
May 28, 2012
12,066
6,082
I thought it deserved some attention that idiot he might be but the Sabres were hanging around .500 and leading against the Avs 4-1 when he got injured. They blew that lead and lost every game without him during the 5-game home stand.

Seriously people who see him as a problem or even THE problem (there is that guy with the cutoff of Dahlin's hockeydb stats in the avatar, for example) for the Sabres need to give their head a shake. Or watch hockey. Or attend some cognitive development courses, something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tsujimoto74

HaNotsri

Regstred User
Dec 29, 2013
8,743
6,650
Dahlin has performed better than Eichel, Reinhart and ROR in Buffalo.
He's an emotional player and does dumb things at times but he also has to deal with the worst management in hockey and hasn't had a single good mentor.

On a serious team he'd be above ppg and considered a top 5 d in the league with a very special upside.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mattilaus

Faceboner

Registered User
Jan 6, 2022
2,026
1,437
In all honesty buffalo is an evil city with evil people who are oppressed by it no wonder others find instant success after they leave

The Sabres and Dahlin are made for each other. Neither care about actually winning games.
Untrue city is cursed more ways than one I have been getting followed around vehemently I was kidnapped tortured and chipped and had my identity stolen no joke
 

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
46,275
57,614
In all honesty buffalo is an evil city with evil people who are oppressed by it no wonder others find instant success after they leave


Untrue city is cursed more ways than one I have been getting followed around vehemently I was kidnapped tortured and chipped and had my identity stolen no joke
Interesting take… on hockey.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Coffey

Civetty

Registered User
Jan 2, 2017
414
247
Despite being an idiot, he do seem to come with benefits as Buffalo havn't won a single game since he got injured.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad