Sabres make 23-year-old the 2nd highest paid defenseman in the NHL
The Buffalo Sabres have announced an 8-year contract extension with 2018 first overall pick, Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin has steadily improved over his first 5 NHL seasons and has now joined the echelon of elite defencemen in the NHL after a 15 goal, 73 point season last year. Dahlin's new deal will not kick in until next season, as he has 1 year left on the 3-year $6M per season deal he signed ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Dahlin's new deal will come in at a hefty $88 million, tying Drew Doughty for the 7th largest contract of the Salary Cap era. His $11M AAV ties him for 2nd among NHL defencemen in cap hit, $500k behind Erik Karlsson. Based on his contract comparables, Dahlin will have to be a perennial Norris candidate over the course of this deal to be worth the money.
As of this writing, his salary structure has not been reported. Buffalo has backed up the Brinks truck here, it will be interesting to see if the deal comes with any bonuses. It's also unclear whether or not the deal will come with trade protection, it's a safe bet that there will be some variation of an NTC or NMC included as well. With Dahlin locked up long term and a strong team being backstopped by rookie sensation Devon Levi, the Sabres are ready to threaten for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division for a long time to come.
| POLL | ||
9 OCTOBRE | 69 ANSWERS Sabres make 23-year-old the 2nd highest paid defenseman in the NHL Will the Sabres make the playoff this year? | ||
| No, the division is too strong | 17 | 24.6 % |
| They'll sneak into a wild card spot | 41 | 59.4 % |
| They'll be too 3 in the Atlantic | 11 | 15.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
