The Buffalo Sabres have a few players that they can least afford to lose.
Rasmus Dahlin is one of those, and the star defenseman was injured on Monday.
The Sabres were playing an unusual afternoon game, a 1 p.m. ET start against the Florida Panthers, and Dahlin was involved in a high-scoring start.
Dahlin wouldn’t be involved in the finish, though. He left and would not return.
Rasmus Dahlin Injury Update
The Sabres announced at about 2:30 p.m. ET that Dahlin would not be returning to the game.
They announced it as an upper-body injury for the star defenseman.
Rasmus Dahlin will not return to the game for the Sabres. He has an upper body injury.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) October 12, 2026
Dahlin played seven minutes and eight seconds in the first period, pretty normal for him.
He got in for three shifts in the second period but last appeared with 16:16 left.
The Sabres ruled Dahlin out before the third period even began, so it’s clear that it wasn’t great news.
Fans were speculating that a power play shot attempt in which Dahlin slid to a knee while shooting may have been where he got hurt:
Looks like Rasmus Dahlin tweaked something off this shot here https://t.co/MT71SyXUEf
— The Sabre Report (@TheSabreReport) October 12, 2026
Dahlin has multiple times in his career dealt with a back injury for the Sabres. While they haven’t clarified anything further than “upper-body” here, the potential for some sort of reaggravation of a past problem will be a potential concern.
Really, any kind of injury that forces Dahlin off the ice is a concern for the Sabres, though.
Sabres Replacements for Rasmus Dahlin
Obviously on Monday, Buffalo will simply be short one defenseman and others will have to pick up the slack.
Going forward, they’ll need someone to step into the lineup in his place.
Conor Timmins is currently on injured reserve, but he’d be a candidate once healthy — not for Dahlin’s top-line spot, but simply to get into the gameday lines.
Owen Power and Zach Metsa, along with the trade acquisition Olen Zellweger, could all be guys who see increases in ice time if Dahlin misses out.
That includes on the first power play unit, where Dahlin is usually a fixture.
Dahlin is one of those guys who you don’t really replace. Other players take this ice, yes, but none of them get the job done like Dahlin does.
Sabres fans will simply be hoping that the news that comes out after the game isn’t too bad.
Rasmus Dahlin Injury Update is Bad News for Sabres