NHL rookies you have to pick up in fantasy hockey for 2018-19
7. D Rasmus Dahlin
It isn’t very often that a defensive prospect can be fantasy-relevant in their rookie year. Rasmus Dahlin will be given every chance to be that rookie by the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres have missed the playoffs in seven straight seasons and they finished dead last in offense last year. The Swedish-born defenseman provides a glimmer of hope that fortunes are changing.
He’s drawn comparisons to everyone from Niklas Lidstrom to Victor Hedman to Erik Karlsson. It will no doubt take him a few years to validate any of the noise, but there’s reason to believe he can help your fantasy team as early as next year.
Dahlin is virtually guaranteed to make the Sabres’ roster this fall. Even a 20-point season would have slotted him in at third in scoring among Buffalo blueliners last year — and 20 points hardly seems like a stretch for a prospect of his ilk.
Where he ends up slotting is the bigger question, so it will be important to monitor training camp closely. While he may have some competition from players such as Brendan Guhle and Marco Scandella, he could end up lining up with Rasmus Ristolainen. That would do wonders for his fantasy value and would make him worthy of a draft selection.
Power play time is paramount here — Jack Eichel likes to shoot the puck, as evidenced by his top-10 finish in shots on goal per game. If Dahlin earns first-unit duties right out of the gate, he will have the ability to rack up assists (even if they’re secondary assists) by feeding him the puck on the man-advantage.
Dahlin sits seventh on this list because of the team he plays for. If you’re playing in a points-only league, he’s worth taking a gamble on after you’ve solidified your top blueline slots. In more stats-driven leagues however, be cautious. Buffalo’s offense was the worst in the NHL last year, and the young blueliner isn’t going to magically fix that in his rookie year. While he could put up points at a good clip, his plus/minus is sure to hurt his overall value here and there’s no guarantee of earning special teams minutes with their top forwards.