I think Dahlin is probably very good.
My only point was that every prospect makes the transition to the NHL differently, so I would not say that Dahlin was 1/2 tiers above McAvoy (whatever the **** that means), as the poster I was responding to did.
The other thing we have seen is that even the best prospects benefit from some veteran mentoring, and I'm not sure BUF has that part in place at this time?
Bless you.
McAvoy has been a stud and, as others have pointed out, he was sort of Ray Bourque thick when he came up. That helps immensely as a defenseman if you have size/thickness and the ability to skate. HOWEVER, Charlie had big Z to mentor/help the adjustment and that cannot be overemphasized. Not to mention guys like Bergie and all the other vets.
Dahlin looks like he'll be a fantastic player -- but being asked to be a number one D man on a team with little to no veteran support is a tough ask. He's going to to see a LOT of pressure and d zone time. Playing top D minutes in NHL on a generally poor team is a hell of a leap from an "adult league".
We'll see. Kid seems like a gem. Buffalo would be smart to put very careful thought into how he plays and/or develops.