Rasmus Dahlin

Dahlin missed 10 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season due to injury, but he was highly productive when healthy, racking up four goals, 36 assists, 19 power-play points and 90 shots on goal in 59 games. The first overall pick from the 2018 draft will only be 20 years old when the 2020-21 campaign gets underway, so it's safe to assume he's hardly scratched the surface in terms of his potential at this stage of his career. The Sabres made several major moves to improve their offense this offseason, adding Taylor Hall via free agency and Eric Staal via a trade, so Dahlin's offensive production should not only continue to improve due to his growth as a player during the upcoming campaign, but also due to his improved supporting cast. A double-digit goal, 55-plus point pace isn't out of the question for Dahlin in his third NHL season, making him an attractive secondary option at defense for fantasy managers.

Dahlin was billed as a generational prospect on the blue line, so expectations were naturally high for 2018's first-overall selection. Considering defensemen usually take longer to adjust at the top level, it's hard to complain about Dahlin's 44-point rookie season at 18 years of age. He proved to be an effective power-play quarterback with 20 points with the man advantage, and the Swedish teenager's minus-13 rating can be chalked up mostly to the subpar team around him. That last problem could haunt Dahlin again in Year 2, but his tremendous skill set and limitless potential trump the negatives that come with playing for a perennially underachieving Sabres club.

The best defensive prospect to enter the league since Victor Hedman in 2009, Dahlin joins forwards Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and fellow defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to form the core of the Sabres moving forward. The 18-year-old rearguard will be counted upon for immediate production and there is no reason to believe he won't deliver. A true franchise-altering talent in every sense of the word, there isn't a single aspect of the game in which Dahlin -- the first overall pick from the 2018 draft -- doesn't excel. The mobile Swede is likely to begin the season on Buffalo's second defensive pair so coach Phil Housley can split up he and Ristolainen. There will be bumps along the way, but given how much playing time he is likely to receive, a dozen goals and 35-plus points are achievable goals for Dahlin in his rookie campaign. Dynasty owners need to invest immediately and heavily.