It’s heartbreaking: A very loyal Buffalo Sabres player has announced his sudden retirement, sending a powerful statement and bidding the team and supporters a heartfelt farewell.
The Buffalo Sabres return this Thursday, so don’t look now—the Buffalo Bills are still the main plot point in Western New York.
This Thursday night at KeyBank Center, the Sabres will open the regular season with a game against the New York Rangers.
Postseason play is what the Sabres are expected to do. Making the playoffs is the aim for 2023–2024, if any player has been speaking to you since the conclusion of the previous campaign. Last season, they narrowly missed the playoffs by two points, missing the final spot.
The majority of the Sabres’ roster is back, including Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton, two important defensive additions. Zach Benson, a rookie forward who made the opening night roster at the age of 18, is another member of their squad. This year, the Sabres selected him in the first round.
But today’s player in the news is none other than star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. He committed to an enormous eight-year contract worth $11 million a year. The only defenseman who makes more money is Erik Karlsson.
Although bridge deals, like Dahlin’s previous contract extension, have become somewhat more common in recent years, general manager Kevyn Adams prefers to wrap up his star players as quickly as possible.
Dahlin is bound to Buffalo for the 2031–2032 season by the terms of the contract. Dahlin’s contract expires at the age of thirty-one.
It was astounding what Dahlin had to say about Buffalo following the extension. Tears were shed by Sabres fans at this quote.
Dahlin wants to be in Buffalo and nowhere else. He picked up the language and culture here, and he will always have ties to the area.
A real Buffalo Sabre.
Watch the entire press conference with Rasmus Dahlin at https://t.co/jJQjEwuVwj and tweet.com/5DrnvHB2MX
October 9, 2023, Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres)
Dahlin will undoubtedly lead the team as captain in the future. Since this is probably Kyle Okposo’s final season in Buffalo, the team will be selecting a new captain. Dahlin will be the selection, and Alex Tuch and Dylan Cozens will probably wear the alternate captain’s letters.
Many people tend to overlook Puppa in favor of Hasek and Miller, both of whom deserve a lot of praise. Puppa started in goal for the Amerks when they won the Calder Cup in the seasons of 1986 and 1987. Puppa led the league in wins in the ’88–’89 season with 31 in 56 games.
Grier spent 14 seasons as an NHL player. Grier broke his own record in the 2005–06 season by helping the Sabres win four games. He played well in the playoffs and was a penalty killer.
Fun Fact: Grier was the first African-American player in NHL history to train only in the United States, where he was born.
Richard Smehlik
The Sabres selected Smehlik in the fifth round of the 1990 draft. Before departing in free agency to join the Atlanta Thrashers, he spent nine seasons here. During his NHL career, he participated in 644 games and recorded 49 goals and 146 assists.
In 1983, the Sabres selected Christian Ruuttu, who played for six seasons in Buffalo after being selected in the seventh round of the NHL Draft. While he was in Buffalo, he achieved career highs in goals (26 in 1987–88), assists (46 in 1988–89), and points (71 in 1987–88).
