FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2018, file photo, Sweden's Rasmus Dahlin (8) moves the puck around United States' Adam Fox, rear, during the second period of a semifinal game at the world junior hockey championship in Buffalo, N.Y. With likelihood of selecting Dahlin with the first pick in the draft on Friday, June 22, the Buffalo Sabres are again in a position to end whats been a decade-long freefall. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

DALLAS (AP) Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill can't hide his excitement about the chance to select Rasmus Dahlin first overall in the NHL draft.

Botterill says he's as impressed with the Swedish defenseman's analysis of his game as his dynamic playmaking skills on the ice.

Dahlin could become the second Swedish player taken with the No. 1 pick after Mats Sundin in 1989. Sundin went on to a Hall of Fame career. Dahlin is projected to be a franchise-altering piece on the blue line. If he goes to the Sabres, he can help center Jack Eichel and provide a spark to Buffalo's offense.

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