In the past week, Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin has been slashed in the head and gloved-punched. This is nothing new for a defenseman who draws penalties like few others.
Hagel, who received two roughing penalties on the play, was fined an additional $5,000 for "being the aggressor." But it was hardly an isolated incident — and not just for Hagel.
In an 8-7 Sabres win that included five fights, 28 penalties and 102 penalty minutes, it's difficult to pin all the blame on Dahlin. At the same time, the Sabres captain sure seemed like he was in the middle of pretty much everything.
On one play, Tampa Bay's Darren Raddysh grabbed Dahlin in a scrum and challenged him to a fight. On another play, Brayden Point chopped Dahlin on the skates with a slash that sent Dahlin crumbling to the ice. And then there was a sucker punch from Hagel. Somehow, Dahlin also managed to score a goal and pick up two assists.
When asked if he felt the Sabres captain was being targeted, coach Lindy Ruff said, "Looked that way, didn't it?"
If so, Dahlin deserves a lot of credit. Not only has he put Buffalo into a playoff spot and himself in the Norris Trophy conversation, but he's done it while also becoming one of the NHL's biggest — and most unassuming — rats.
On the surface, Dahlin doesn't look or play like a rat. Blonde-haired and babyfaced, the 25-year-old is a skilled skater who ranks in the top 10 in goals and points among defensemen. But while he has a history of taking penalties, he also has a history of drawing them as well.
As the What Chaos! podcast suggested, Dahlin has a history of goading opponents into losing their minds.
The most recent incident occurred last week, when Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin received a five-game suspension after slashing Dahlin across the head during a scrum. Four months ago, Florida's Brad Marchand tackled Dahlin to the ice and started attacking him with punches, before skating off with Dahlin's helmet and tearing it apart in the penalty box.
Back in 2022, Toronto's Auston Matthews received a two-game suspension for cross-checking Dahlin in the face. Not to victim-blame, but when a three-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist is losing his cool, then you have to ask yourself what Dahlin's role is in all of this.
"There's so much tape of people losing their mind over Dahlin. Like what is he doing? What is he saying?" asked What Chaos' Pete Blackburn. "Dahlin has three of the more infamous goading incidents over the past three years."
For Dahlin, antagonizing has become a staple of his game.
Among defensemen, only New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer has drawn more penalties than Dahlin. Last year, Dahlin tied for first among defensemen with Cale Makar with 26 drawn penalties. Since making his debut in 2018, Dahlin has drawn 154 penalties — the most among defensemen.
Indeed, like some of the best rats in the NHL, it is clear that Dahlin knows exactly what buttons to push to not only get players off their game but to get them into the penalty box.
"It's a part of it," Dahlin told reporters of being targeted. "I know it. It was really good to have this experience going into something hopefully bigger and kind of learn from it. I'm out there to play the game of hockey, not do stupid stuff."
No, Dahlin often leaves the "stupid stuff" to his opponents.
That said, in a Feb. 28 game against Tampa, Dahlin wielded his stick like an axe, injuring Gage Goncalves with a cross-check and levelling Brayden Point from behind with a cross-check on a play where Point retaliated by slashing Dahlin on the ankle.
Maybe that's why so many Tampa Bay players were out trying to get even with Dahlin in Sunday's rematch. If so, it could make a potential playoff series against Tampa Bay quite an interesting matchup.
"I thought he handled it great, and I thought the way everybody handled it was the way you need to handle it," Ruff told reporters. "If that’s their choice, you deal with it."
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