Rasmus Dahlin returns to Buffalo with sharpened mental toughness from the 2026 Olympics, eager to channel his international experience into the Sabres’ playoff push.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rasmus Dahlin is back in Buffalo, carrying both the pride of representing Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and the sting of an early exit.

The Buffalo Sabres defenseman said the Olympic experience brought him honor, but the result on the ice left him wanting more.

“It was an honor to represent the country, to hang out with the Swedish guys, speaking Swedish,” Dahlin said. “But I wanted a different result when it comes to hockey. (It is a) Sour taste, but it is what it is, so we’ve got to move on.”

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Sweden was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the hands of the United States in overtime, a loss that Dahlin admitted still lingers. Watching other nations compete for medals while heading home early was a difficult pill to swallow.

“Mentally, (he’s) disappointed,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “When you’re there and you get to watch the teams go in the medal rounds, there’s got to be a feeling of, ‘I wish it could have been us,'” said one member of his inner circle.

But Dahlin did not dwell for too long. With the Sabres in the middle of a tight playoff push, he said he quickly moved on to another big task at hand.

“Losing that game, I kind of switched my focus right away to Buffalo,” Dahlin said. “I’m so excited to get this thing going and we have a really good thing going on and now the fun begins.”

There may be a silver lining to the Olympic experience, even with the disappointing outcome. Dahlin said competing in high-pressure, must-win games on a global stage helped sharpen his mental toughness, something he plans to bring back to the Sabres locker room.

“Almost every game was a must-win for us, so I got a chance to work on handling emotions and handling pressure, so that was awesome. I got better at that,” Dahlin said.

Ruff agrees that the Olympic stage offered a chance to grow beyond just his on-ice game.

“There’s always an opportunity to become a better player, a better leader, and understand from the guys that have been there before,” Ruff said.

The Sabres resume their playoff push with Dahlin now back in the fold, bringing international experience and a hunger to make a deeper run.