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ST. PAUL, Minn. – Phil Housley’s view of NHL games is different than the one he had from behind the bench the past nine seasons.
After departing from his role as an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes over the summer, he’s watching from his couch. And, naturally, the Buffalo Sabres, whom he starred for as a defenseman for eight seasons and coached for two, are among the teams he’s watched closely.
And each time Housley tunes into a Sabres game, he marvels over the defenseman he tutored through a pressure-packed rookie season in 2018-19: Rasmus Dahlin.
“It’s great to see him have a great season so far, and they're knocking on the playoffs, which is great,” Housley said when reached by phone this week. “These are really meaningful games and he's going to learn this year going through that.”
Four seasons after playing under Housley, Dahlin has established himself as one of the best in the world at his position. At 22 years old, he’s the anchor of a defense corps that’s been the engine behind the Sabres’ transformation into a prolific offensive team with Don Granato as coach.
Dahlin’s no longer the quiet, intensely competitive teenager who successfully navigated the challenge of being the top pick in the NHL draft. Through self-reflection, support from teammates and applying harsh lessons learned, he’s developed into a dynamic defenseman who consistently makes highlight-reel plays with the puck and shuts down the opponents’ top players.
For Housley, watching the unfinished product of Dahlin’s tireless work conjures memories of their season together in Buffalo. Knowing all too well what Dahlin endured along the way, Housley gushed when discussing what his former student has achieved. Each time Dahlin approaches a milestone, Housley is typically the record-holder. Drafted sixth overall by Buffalo in 1982, Housley is still the franchise’s all-time leader for goals and points by a defenseman.
“It’s great for him because records are made to be broken,” Housley told The Buffalo News. “I always had a soft spot for him because he was just a young kid coming in. We tried to make him feel comfortable. We tried to insulate him as best as we could because we knew he was going to break through. And there were times during that year where you’d shake your head and go, ‘Wow, that was unbelievable.’
“He had to manage those down years, and he kept coming back and said, ‘I’m gonna get better, I’m gonna get stronger, I’m gonna get faster,' and now he’s just on the brink of it. And everybody’s getting to see what he’s all about.”
'Building block'
Housley was preparing for his second season as the Sabres’ coach in the summer of 2018 when he poured through video of Dahlin, who was the consensus top prospect in the NHL draft. And when then-General Manager Jason Botterill announced Dahlin as Buffalo’s selection in Dallas that June, Housley got to shake the hand of the kid who, in some ways, would follow in his footsteps.
“I felt like this is a big piece of the building block for the Buffalo Sabres organization, and you sort of get giddy that you've got this gem and you're going to be able to work with him,” Housley recalled.
As an 18-year-old defenseman in 1982, Housley entered an environment that helped him thrive as a rookie. In the locker room, the Sabres had Gilbert Perreault, Mike Foligno, Mike Ramsey, Lindy Ruff, Craig Ramsay and Larry Playfair, among others. They were quick to make sure Housley felt comfortable on and off the ice. And behind the bench, Buffalo had Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman. Housley’s 558 points rank fifth among all skaters in franchise history. He appeared in 608 regular-season games with the Sabres from 1983-90, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
Phil Housley’s 558 points rank fifth among all skaters in Sabres' franchise history.
Bowman taught Housley a lesson that would be useful when he began to coach – put players in a position to succeed. Bowman didn’t try to make Housley a different type of defenseman. The kid from Minnesota was told to go play his game. And when Dahlin arrived in Buffalo with the same wide-eyed look, Housley delivered the same instruction.
“I think we all knew that Rasmus was going to make the team, obviously, because of his talent and to be able to experience the NHL,” said Housley. “And I think the one thing for me, coming in, I can really relate to what he went through. The expectation and just the day-to-day operation of being in the NHL. It was really eye-opening. … I think he did an incredible job with his attitude. I mean, he's a great person to coach. He wants to learn, and he wants to get better.”
Given the green light to join the play on offense, Dahlin made an immediate impact and played a key role in the Sabres’ 10-game win streak in November 2018. The club didn’t have the depth up front or on the back end to sustain, but the memorable three-week run created heightened, unrealistic expectations when, in reality, the priority should have been development. Fans were clamoring for the playoffs, and it was the first real taste of success they experienced in years.
Not only did Dahlin have to handle the pressure of being the No. 1 pick and playing defense in the best league in the world at 18, but he was also in a situation in which each loss was treated from the outside as catastrophic. As Dahlin sat at his dressing room stall Thursday in Winnipeg, he conceded the season felt far longer than 82 games. During his first preseason, Dahlin was livid when the Sabres lost. In Buffalo, he wanted to win immediately. And he expected himself to be the best.
Though the trust of Housley and defense coach Steve Smith provided Dahlin a sense of freedom, only time and experience would reveal how to balance the euphoria of victory with the disappointment of defeat.
“Allowing me to play my game was probably the best thing Phil could do for me my first year because after that year, I knew I could play offense in this league,” said Dahlin. “And then, whatever, a year and a half came, and I didn't have that confidence. It was huge having him that year. I remember he just took me into some meetings and just told me to be more confident, play more with the puck.
“I learned pretty quick that if you’re up and down every game, you’re going to get exhausted. I remember my first year there were like 30 games left and I was exhausted. I just wanted the season to end then because I couldn't handle it. So, you can't go low. You can't go high. You’ve got to be in the middle. And I guess that comes with maturity.”
Dahlin totaled nine goals and 44 points with a minus-13 rating while averaging 21:09 of ice time that season. He ranks second behind Housley in most points by a defenseman under 19, and his eight multipoint games tied Bobby Orr and trail only Housley in NHL history.
Their time came to an end shortly after the regular-season finale, though. In April 2019, Housley was fired after a campaign in which the Sabres finished with a 33-39-10 record and 76 points.
Two months later, Ralph Krueger was hired as coach and installed a system that shackled Dahlin’s offensive gifts. In 87 games with Krueger in charge, Dahlin had five goals and 51 points with a minus-34 rating. In Granato, Dahlin has another coach who wants him to trust his instincts and use his remarkable skill to make plays. And now, Dahlin is an example for fellow No. 1 pick Owen Power to follow.
"For me, just watching him every night, it's such a privilege, really," said Power. "I mean, you can learn so much from him and he's obviously one of best in the league, if not the best. So, for me, I think all of us, it's a lot of fun to watch him every night and just pick up stuff from his game and attempt to put in ours."
Granato elevated Dahlin to a top-pairing role and, like Housley, decided the Sabres had to live with the mistakes. There was a challenging adjustment period at the start of the 2021-22 season, as Dahlin began to face the opponents’ top players each game. Determined to become a well-rounded defenseman, and with the calm, guiding voices of Granato and defense coach Marty Wilford, Dahlin began to break out in December 2021.
Last season, Dahlin was selected to the NHL All-Star Game.
“I say that he’ll never surprise, but that shouldn’t be confused with he’ll never stop impressing me,” said Granato. “He’s impressive and you don’t know what’s next. You’re not surprised after it because you know it’s going to be something special. … It’s a lot of fun to see him compete at the level he does. The difference for me is he has such a base of defensive knowledge.
“He kills plays so fast that there’s no more stress for him in the game. Last year, as he’s developed his defensive game and his assertiveness playing defense, that’s just given him the green light now to be as offensive as he is. There’s no burden for him anymore. There’s no mistake he’s wondering what happened and that’s really freed him up.”
Brimming with confidence because of the coaches’ approach and his teammates’ support, Dahlin is strong enough now to rip the puck away from an opponent or lay a well-timed body check to help the Sabres regain possession.
Entering Saturday, Dahlin’s 14 goals and 55 points, both career-highs, ranked second in the NHL behind San Jose’s Erik Karlsson. Dahlin, who was on pace to become only the second defenseman in the league since 2000 to surpass the 90-point mark, also had a plus-22 rating, and his 26:07 average ice time per game was third most in the league. He’s the first Sabres defenseman since Alexei Zhitnik in 1997-98 to record at least 14 goals in a season.
Only Housley reached 200 career points quicker than Dahlin, who is on pace to break the franchise record for most minutes played in a season since the league began tracking ice time in 1997-98. He's considered a top candidate to win the Norris Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league's best defenseman.
He’s not being asked to do it alone, either.
Through drafting and development, the Sabres have built one of the best young defense corps in the league with Dahlin, Power, Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju. Up front, there are forwards who are collecting tape-to-tape passes from Dahlin and scoring goals. You won’t hear Dahlin take credit, though. He looked around the locker room in Winnipeg and said none of it would be possible without his teammates.
“I think you can see now he's becoming a more complete defenseman,” Housley said. “He's defending a lot better, he has a great stick, he's getting stronger. All little things that you have to do to become a complete player in this league today are really becoming evident. Obviously, with the personnel, you've got some guys that are coming into their own and having great careers, but I really think that he's really learned from the past. And now he’s becoming what we all thought Rasmus could be.” |
