Buffalo Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin has rejoined the club after a three-game leave of absence. The return of Buffalo’s star defenseman comes at a time when the team desperately needs him.
The Sabres are in the midst of a road swing that has seen the team lose all three contests in Dahlin’s absence. Buffalo occupies last place in the Eastern Conference standings. They must start to gain points to salvage this season.
Much like last November, the current skid has the team in danger of falling out of the playoff chase. Dahlin returns to the team after going back to his native Sweden to be with his fiancée, who is recovering from an emergency heart transplant that took place this summer.
With the team dealing with a depleted lineup due to injury and illness to key players, having Dahlin back in the lineup comes at a critical time.
Top forwards Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch have been inconsistent thus far this season. With the team’s best players not stepping up on a nightly basis to bridge the lineup gap, the Sabres do not have the depth of talent to absorb the losses in the forward ranks.
Ji,ri Kulich, Zach Benson, Jason Zucker and Josh Norris and Justin Danforth all continue to be sidelined.
All teams have to cope with some level of injury loss during the course of a season, but the Sabres have been facing an inordinate number since the season began. However, the injuries should not obscure the overall issues.
Even with a full complement of players, the Sabres would likely be battling for every possible point to try to gain a wild card berth.
Roster construction and being forced to move players from a position of weakness have been the root of Buffalo for far too long. With the pressure of a 14-year playoff drought mounting. Both general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff are on expiring contracts.
With the tenures of Adams and Ruff hanging in the balance change will be coming unless the ship is righted immediately and the Sabres begin to move up in the standings. If the turnaround does not take place quickly, the question isn’t if significant change will take place at the top of the organization, but how soon.
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