It didn’t take long for the Buffalo Sabres streak of bad luck to continue in what was the first practice of their training camp. Rasmus Dahlin was the injured party, and after he didn’t return to finish practice, it’s understandably leading to a collective sigh of frustration from Sabres fans.
Awful luck has held a starring role in the Sabres saga since their infamous playoff drought commenced in the 2011-12 season for a variety of reasons. Injuries to its best players have been a recurring theme; as many fans may recall, it was the beginning of the end of Jack Eichel’s time with the Blue and Gold.
As for Dahlin, the Sabres are in better shape, as the star player has an eight-year deal kicking in this season and a no-movement clause set to begin next season. Also, it’s premature to worry too much about Dahlin at the moment, as his lack of returning to the ice could be nothing more than a precaution at this stage in camp.
Awful luck haunts the Sabres, but let’s not be too concerned just yet
At the time of this writing on Wednesday afternoon, there is no surefire update regarding Rasmus Dahlin’s status, and it’s important that we don’t worry yet until we get more specifics. Should he, by any chance, miss time, it also shouldn’t spell the end of the Blue and Gold’s season before it begins.
Buffalo has an 82-game slate, and while it’s not a bad thing to get a head start in the points column early, Sabre fans know by now that such hot starts don’t guarantee postseason berths. At this point, it’s best to play it safe with Dahlin, even if it’s just a minor ailment since they’ll need him at his best when the sense of urgency meter kicks up a notch or two.
Still, it’s disheartening news if you’re a Sabres fan, a team that created a lot of optimism when they brought back head coach Lindy Ruff. But they’re also deep at the blue line with a returning Mattias Samuelsson, a pair of intriguing youngsters in Bowen Byram and Ryan Johnson, plus another former No. 1 overall pick in Owen Power, to name a few.
Losing Dahlin will hurt if this is a long-term injury, but, hopefully by Thursday, those fears will be curtailed. If not, then yes, you can honestly say that awful luck continues to haunt one of the NHL’s most snakebitten franchises.
