The upside of Rasmus Dahlin
- Thread starter Ben White
- Start date
I would say most perennial Norris contenders end up in the Hall of Fame, so not sure what to vote for, but I’d guess somewhere along those lines
If the Sabres start rolling, he could be the best defenseman in the NHL for a decade-plus. Shades of the early 90's Wings going on in Buffalo.
Gurglesons
Registered User
lol what?
hot start, but I don't really see him ever winning a Norris over Makar or Heiskanen if healthy.
zenthusiast
cybersabre his prophet
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Honest M
Registered User
- May 11, 2012
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Huhh Heiskanen.... There are some names ahead of Heiskanen including Dahlin. Heiskanen never won a norris and i don't think he will, really good but will always be behind a couple of those special talents.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Like many other observers, I considered the generational tag when a prospect.
Now I think a HHoF career is still very much in play as a ceiling.
It feels like he’s been around for ages but he’s still only 22 which is insanely young for a defenceman.
He’d have to rack up a lot of consecutive Norris trophies to regain that draft year hype and I think there is too much good competition in the league at this point.
Now I think a HHoF career is still very much in play as a ceiling.
It feels like he’s been around for ages but he’s still only 22 which is insanely young for a defenceman.
He’d have to rack up a lot of consecutive Norris trophies to regain that draft year hype and I think there is too much good competition in the league at this point.
Gurglesons
Registered User
After McAvoy I don’t think there is another young D the media (who votes on the Norris) talk up more than Heiskanen.
TommyDangles
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I really don't see Heiskanen ever winning a Norris. Phenomenal player, but doesn't rack up the points like Makar the other guys do. You need points to win a Norris.
He’s received all of 6 Norris votes in his career so far though. One of those things where everyone loves him, but he’s still not going to get significant award support until he puts up 50+ points. Could do it with Klingberg gone (like McAvoy once Krug left), but that’s still tbd. I imagine Dahlin will generally fare better in voting because he’s likely going to be near the top in defenseman scoring most years
TruePowerSlave
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- Jun 27, 2015
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Hall of famer but went perennial Norris contender since they’re usually synonymous.
The last option is not consistent with the question. One's asking upside one's answering results.
Panthaz89
Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
He's going to have to at least pass the 40point mark at some point before anyone thinks he's getting a Norris. Now that he's getting more PP time this season we will see if he can handle it. Even on a total utter garbage display by the Sabres in Seattle in their last outing he was the only plus player on the team and did pretty damn well on both sides of the ice. If Dahlin can keep that up for the full 82 he's no doubt going to be a finalist.
He's not only putting up the most shots on the team he's setting up more than anyone and defending incredibly well. Hopefully Samuelsson can comeback soon so he focus more on playing in the opposing zone than cover for his partners mistakes though Lyu held up ok in the outing that's not going to last for a guy that is normally a bottom pairing D. Doesn't help Dahlin that Power has been up and down so far this season and that we've dropped to 5 D 3x already due to injuries mid game.
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BenchBrawl
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- Jul 26, 2010
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Should compete for the Norris for the next decade+
It was what we all thought he'd become in his draft year. He started a tad slow but seems he's arrived. Good for him and for Buffalo fans.
It was what we all thought he'd become in his draft year. He started a tad slow but seems he's arrived. Good for him and for Buffalo fans.
Hmm, Dahlin entered the league on a basement dweller at age 18 though. Makar came in at age 21 and put up 50 points and won the Calder. Dahlin at age 21 put up 53 points last season and placed third in Calder voting at age 18 vs Pettersson (20), and Binnington (25) as per hockey reference. I don't think it's too farfetched to think Dahlin could challenge Makar for the Norris. Especially if the team around him begins to improve.
I agree that Dahlin could challenge him for the Norris, but Makar put up that total in 23 fewer games. Makar’s production has been quite far ahead so far, even at the same age.
Sabres
Registered User
His ceiling is best defenseman in the league. Now I don't know if he gets there, cause Makar is just so good, but it's entirely possible he's viewed as the #2 to Makar for the next decade. He would already be viewed as a top 5 defenseman if it wasn't for Ralph Krueger doing his best to sabotage Dahlin and the rest of the team
Pavels Dog
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Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
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As soon as we stopped making excuses for Dahlin he showed what he's capable of. Voted future HHoF since that pretty much goes with perennial Norris contender.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
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I stand by that thread still. He was playing like shit and didn't deserve more excuses, which even some Buffalo fans agreed with. Never ever said I didn't think he would turn it around though and was pretty clear with how excited I was when he finally got out of his slump. Many posters took that thread as a bust thread though, which it clearly wasn't if you actually took time to read. There were some other posters who expressed silly things like that, not me though.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
What changed is that he’s playing on a decent team for a change.
It’s amazing what that does for a defenceman who logs a lot of minutes.
