Rasmus
Dahlin
D · BUF · Two-way · Elite
- PAL
- 96
- WAR
- 3.2
- Value
- 96
- PTS
- 74
2025-26№ 5 / 325
Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Rasmus Dahlin
#26D
Buffalo Sabres
HEIGHT : 191 cm · WEIGHT : 93 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : April 12, 2000 · Lidkoping, Sweden
Drafted : 2018 · BUF · round 1, pick #1
Contract : $11,000,000 · 2024-25 → 2031-32 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA · Signing bonus $5,000,000NMC
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Buffalo Sabres | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| 2025-26 | Buffalo Sabres | 77 | 19 | 55 | 74 | 76 |
| 2024-25 | Buffalo Sabres | 73 | 17 | 51 | 68 | 54 |
| 2023-24 | Buffalo Sabres | 81 | 20 | 39 | 59 | 66 |
| 2022-23 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 15 | 58 | 73 | 92 |
| 2021-22 | Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 13 | 40 | 53 | 68 |
| 2020-21 | Buffalo Sabres | 56 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 26 |
| 2019-20 | Buffalo Sabres | 59 | 4 | 36 | 40 | 38 |
| 2018-19 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 9 | 35 | 44 | 34 |
| NHL totals | 600 | 105 | 339 | 444 | 464 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Buffalo Sabres | 13 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 20 |
| Playoff totals | 13 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 20 | |
Rasmus Dahlin: our analysis
2025-26 season: 77 GP, 19 G, 55 A, 74 PTS, +18 +/-, 24:11 TOI. WAR 3.2 (5th of 325) · PAL 96, elite.
In 2025-26, Rasmus Dahlin, 26, posts a PAL Rating of 96 out of 100 (elite), and his WAR of 3.2 ranks 5th among 325 regulars, among the league's elite.
His strengths: offense (98, among the best in the league), creation (97, among the best in the league) and shooting (97, among the best in the league).
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV offense (+9.3); his biggest cost: power play (-0.9).
A season in line with 2024-25 (PAL of 98); his WAR went from 3.6 to 3.2.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 96 (exceptional value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Rasmus Dahlin's story
Born in Trollhättan and shaped in the junior ranks at HC Lidköping before moving to Frölunda, Dahlin reached senior hockey unusually soon. He broke into the SHL with Frölunda at 16 and scored his first top‑level goal on 12 November 2016 against Karlskrona, and that same age made him the youngest participant at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
His play in Sweden during 2017–18 cemented his status as the top prospect for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The Buffalo Sabres chose him first overall on 22 June 2018 and he signed a three‑year entry‑level deal on 9 July. After training camp he earned a spot on Buffalo’s opening roster for 2018–19, made his NHL debut on 4 October and recorded his first NHL goal on 13 October.
Dahlin’s NHL trajectory has included early individual recognition and steady contract milestones: he was one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy after his rookie year, agreed a three‑year, $18 million deal on 22 September 2021 and posted career highs in 2021–22, earning his first All‑Star nod. He opened 2022–23 by setting an NHL mark for goals by a defenceman in consecutive opening games and was named to a second All‑Star Game. On 9 October 2023 he signed an eight‑year extension, and on 26 September 2024 he was named Buffalo’s captain. During 2025–26 he scored his first career hat‑trick on 27 January, finished the season with a personal best 74 points, and helped end Buffalo’s 14‑season playoff drought by winning the Atlantic Division; he was also a finalist for the Norris and Masterton trophies that year.
Internationally, Dahlin has a notable résumé: youngest Swedish player at the 2017 World Juniors, silver medallist at the 2018 World Juniors where he led defencemen in points and was named top defenceman, participant at the 2018 Winter Olympics as the youngest male player since 1984, and a bronze medallist at the 2024 World Championship. His on‑ice profile mixes skating and puck skills with playmaking vision—he starts and drives offence from the back end while carrying defensive responsibilities.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 24:26
- PP TOI/GP
- 3:37
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:11
- Pts/GP
- 0.71
- EV points
- 5
- Hits
- 19
- Blocks
- 17
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 52.8 %
- Off. zone starts
- 40.2 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
65between 42 and 81 (80% range)
- Goals
- 18
- Assists
- 47
- Games
- 75
So far: 10 pts in 14 games. The team has played 17 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.90 pts per game (last season: 0.96).
Three straight seasons of growth. Since 2018, of 97 players in that spot, 23 kept improving the next season; on average, their pace fell back to 90% of their best season.
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slightly up
- Points per game: 0.73 in 23-24, 0.96 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 98 → 96
Outlook, age included
↗ Slightly upAge 26: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 88 %
95
NHL elite
- SK
- Skating
- 79
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 73
- Confidence 90 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 90
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 84
- Confidence 77 %
- CK
- Checking
- 76
- Confidence 90 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 73
- Confidence 66 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 79
- Confidence 90 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 93
- Confidence 88 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 94
- Confidence 88 %
- DF
- Defense
- 81
- Confidence 86 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 67
- Confidence 8 %
- EX
- Experience
- 78
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating79
- Top speed (35 %)35.4 · 74
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.512 · 70
- Distance /60 (20 %)15.2 · 95
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.5 · 74
ST — Strength73
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.72 · 71
- Body mass (50 %)0.383 · 75
EN — Endurance90
- Ice time per game (45 %)22.6 · 91
- Total ice time (20 %)1,790 · 87
- Shift length (15 %)49.4 · 81
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)21.9 · 92
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)3.845 · 88
DU — Durability84
- Share of games played (100 %)0.87 · 84
CK — Checking76
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.284 · 76
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)2.409 · 73
- Season volume (10 %)4.22 · 77
FG — Fighting73
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.788 · 73
DI — Discipline79
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.026 · 79
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.917 · 61
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.76 · 93
PA — Passing93
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.813 · 93
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.783 · 90
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.289 · 94
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)5.027 · 87
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.64 · 93
SC — Scoring94
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.548 · 94
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.392 · 92
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.665 · 88
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.291 · 92
- xG per shot (10 %)0.04 · 93
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)13.8 · 89
DF — Defense81
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.126 · 85
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.089 · 80
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.65 · 73
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.051 · 80
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.971 · 76
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)57.6 · 78
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.579 · 61
PS — Penalty shot67
- Shootouts (60 %)32 · 65
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience78
- Career regular-season games (65 %)90
- Career playoff games (25 %)50
- NHL seasons (10 %)75
OV — Overall95
- DF · Defense (30 %)81
- PA · Passing (22 %)93
- SK · Skating (12 %)79
- SC · Scoring (12 %)94
- EN · Endurance (9 %)90
- ST · Strength (6 %)73
- DI · Discipline (5 %)79
- CK · Checking (4 %)76
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 95 | 79 | 94 | 81 |
| 2024-25 | 95 | 76 | 94 | 86 |
| 2023-24 | 95 | 73 | 95 | 85 |
| 2022-23 | 97 | 72 | 93 | 83 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
3.2
wins above replacement
5 of 325
PAL Rating
96/ 100
Performance · Elite
9 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
96/ 100
Exceptional value
11.00 M$ · expected PAL 76
ProfileTwo-wayStrong at both ends
- Offense
- 96
- Defense
- 73
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 98
- Creation
- 97
- Shooting
- 97
- Possession
- 91
- Defense
- 62
- Discipline
- 82
- Power play
- 51
- Penalty kill
- 59
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 3.2 | 96 | 96 | 11.00 M$ |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 3.6 | 98 | 98 | 11.00 M$ |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 3.8 | 98 | 98 | 6.00 M$ |
| 2022-23 | BUF | 2.2 | 98 | 98 | 6.00 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
93/ 100
Elite
better than 93% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
99/ 100
Elite
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
30/ 100
Below average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 15 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 98
- Shot selection
- 97
- Penalties drawn
- 97
- Puck management
- 27
Defense
- Takeaways
- 52
- Discipline
- 9
- Safe zone exits
- 75
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 93 | 99 | 30 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 97 | 99 | 51 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 87 | 94 | 53 |
| 2022-23 | BUF | 88 | 97 | 40 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
3.2
wins above replacement
1.9 to 4.2 — 90% interval
5 of 325 defensemen
+17.0 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +9.3
- EV defense
- +3.0
- Power play
- -0.9
- Penalty kill
- +0.2
- Shooting
- +2.4
- Penalties
- -0.7
- Average → replacement
- +3.8
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 77 | 3.2 | 1.9 to 4.2 | 5/325 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 69 | 3.6 | 2.5 to 5.2 | 2/314 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 81 | 3.8 | 2.4 to 5.5 | 3/316 |
| 2022-23 | BUF | 78 | 2.2 | 0.4 to 4.1 | 11/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 149.6 km/h81st percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 33.3 km/h28th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1480th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 45.7 %92nd percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 77.7 km72nd percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 7.03 km96th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 43.8 %77th percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 19.3 %94th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 35.0 %97th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 3995th percentile | 395th percentile | 7.7 %61st percentile |
| High danger | 051st percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 1598th percentile | 297th percentile | 13.3 %60th percentile |
| Long range | 2196th percentile | 195th percentile | 4.8 %72nd percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
VGK
CBJ
OTT
LAK
ANA
SJS
WSH
PHI
FLA
UTA
DAL
MIN
CHIRasmus Dahlin: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Rasmus Dahlin have in 2026-27?
Rasmus Dahlin has 3 goals and 10 points (7 assists) in 14 games in 2026-27.
How old is Rasmus Dahlin?
Rasmus Dahlin is 26 years old: he was born on April 13, 2000.
How tall is Rasmus Dahlin, and how much does he weigh?
Rasmus Dahlin is 6'3" (191 cm) and weighs 205 lb (93 kg).
Where is Rasmus Dahlin from?
Sweden: Rasmus Dahlin was born in Lidkoping, Sweden.
What team does Rasmus Dahlin play for?
Rasmus Dahlin plays for the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL, at D, wearing number 26.
Is Rasmus Dahlin injured?
No: Rasmus Dahlin is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Rasmus Dahlin?
Rasmus Dahlin produced 3.2 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 5th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 96 out of 100: elite for his position.
How much does Rasmus Dahlin make?
Rasmus Dahlin earns $11.0M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 96 out of 100 (exceptional value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Rasmus Dahlin's contract end?
Rasmus Dahlin's contract runs through the 2031-32 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent. It includes a NMC clause.
Is Rasmus Dahlin overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 96 out of 100 (exceptional value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Rasmus Dahlin a top-10 player at his position?
Yes: by WAR, he ranks 5th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Rasmus Dahlin getting better?
He is holding steady: his PAL rating went from 98 in 2024-25 to 96 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Rasmus Dahlin played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Rasmus Dahlin has 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists).
What are Rasmus Dahlin's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Rasmus Dahlin has 600 games, 105 goals, 339 assists and 444 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 74 points in 77 games.
Where was Rasmus Dahlin drafted?
Rasmus Dahlin was drafted 1st overall (round 1) by Buffalo Sabres in 2018.
Is Rasmus Dahlin better at home or on the road?
On the road: in 2026-27, he averages 0.56 points per game at home (5 in 9 games) and 1.00 on the road (5 in 5 games).
How does Rasmus Dahlin perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Rasmus Dahlin has 13 games and 14 points in his career. His pace (1.08 points per game) is higher than his regular-season pace (0.74).
Which player is most similar to Rasmus Dahlin?
Jackson LaCombe: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Jackson LaCombe's page →Is Rasmus Dahlin a good fantasy pick?
Yes, a solid pick: our projection has him at 65 points in 2026-27, or 0.87 points per game.
What is Rasmus Dahlin's nationality?
Rasmus Dahlin is Swedish. Internationally: Sweden — silver medal at the 2018 World Junior Championship; competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics (youngest player in the tournament); bronze medal at the 2024 World Championship; youngest player to dress for Sweden at the 2017 World Junior Championship.
What awards has Rasmus Dahlin won?
Tournament's top defenceman, 2018 World Junior Championship ; Calder Memorial Trophy finalist (top NHL rookie), rookie season (2018–19) ; Named to the NHL All-Star Game, 2022 ; Named to the NHL All-Star Game, 2023 ; James Norris Trophy finalist, 2025–26 season ; Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalist, 2025–26 season.
How many championships has Rasmus Dahlin won?
1: Atlantic Division title with the Buffalo Sabres, 2025–26 season.
Where did Rasmus Dahlin play before turning pro?
Frölunda HC (SHL) — at least during the 2016–17 season.
How many points is Rasmus Dahlin projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 65 points in 75 games in 2026-27 (42 to 81 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Buffalo Sabres teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)