Rasmus Dahlin denied a report that he would like to move on from the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old defenseman was asked after practice about a report that claimed he recently told general manager Kevyn Adams he would like to leave Buffalo, which hasn’t qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2010-11 season, the longest drought in the NHL.
“I have never said I want out of here,” Dahlin said. “I’m not happy (with) where we’re at. I don’t want to lose. We have to get better. I’ve never said I want out of here. I thought that was pretty clear.
“That bugs me, actually. I get [ticked] off by that. I haven’t even mentioned the word 'leave.' That’s just how it is.”
The Sabres (25-33-6), who lost 7-3 to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, are last in the Eastern Conference and trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by 14 points for the second wild card with 18 games remaining.
Dahlin was selected by Buffalo with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He has 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists) in 56 games this season, the first of an eight-year, $88 million contract ($11 million average annual value) with the Sabres, who named him captain Sept. 26, 2024.
“If guys don’t want to be here, then you don’t want to be here,” Dahlin said. “You can’t really do anything about it, but I don’t see that in this room. We have a lot of really, really good competitors who want to turn this around. That what gives me the most hope.
“The guys are willing to do whatever it takes to get better. We have had a lot of discussion lately of what we have to do and how we have to move forward. And we’re definitely not happy where we’re at.”
Last season, the Sabres finished 12th in the Eastern Conference and 22nd in the NHL (39-37-6), a step back after they went 42-33-7 in 2022-23 and missed the playoffs by one point.
Dahlin had 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) and a minus-3 rating in 81 games last season after he had an NHL career-high 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) and was plus-12 in 78 games in 2022-23.
“I’m a part of it,” he said. “I haven’t played good enough. We haven’t won games. I take responsibility, too. Stuff has to change. That’s the bottom line.”
Buffalo has altered its roster over the past year. It acquired defenseman Bowen Byram from the Colorado Avalanche before last season’s NHL Trade Deadline, then added forwards Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn via trades and signed Jason Zucker to a one-year contract during the offseason.
The Sabres also acquired forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for center Dylan Cozens and defenseman Dennis Gilbert prior to the 2025 Trade Deadline on Friday.
Zucker signed a two-year contract ($4.75 million AAV) on Friday, two days after forward Jordan Greenway signed a two-year contract ($4 million AAV).
Dahlin and Adams had an hour-long sit-down in the GM’s office last week prior to the Deadline.
“We had a really good discussion,” Dahlin said. “We were very honest with each other. Stuff has to change. That’s how it is. I absolutely hate losing. I don’t think that’s a part of who I want to be. Stuff has to change.”
He said he believes the Sabres have it within them to improve.
“The guys are willing to do whatever it takes to get better,” Dahlin said. “We’ve had a lot of discussion lately of what we have to do and how we have to move forward. We’re definitely not happy where we’re at.
"We have a lot of really good competitors who want to turn this around. That’s what gives me the most hope.”
