Rasmus Dahlin's whirlwind weekend continued into Monday with his first Sabres jersey and his first number as an NHL player. Dahlin knows that Sabres fans have sky-high expectations, although he's trying to avoid any talk of being the Sabres savior.
"I don't think that way. I'm just so motivated to win hockey games," said Dahlin, the top overall pick in last Friday's NHL Draft. "I will bring everything I can to this team. Try to win hockey games. That's what I think about."
"If we're going to change things in Buffalo, we have to have players that are excited about being in Buffalo," said Jason Botterill, the team's general manager. "Want to be a part of our community here. He's excited about being in Buffalo, his entire family is excited about being in Buffalo, and it's genuine when he talks about how excited he is."
"We challenged players to do different thing," Botterill said. "It's up to us to hold up our end of the bargain. Trying to bring in better players. More talent to associate with these guys. Rasmus, Casey Mittelstadt.These younger players get our veterans excited.
All these interviews may be fun, but Dahlin says he can't wait to actually get on the ice. He'll be joining some of his teammates at HarborCenter later this week for development camp.