Sabres’ Dahlin exits game against Panthers with upper-body injury
The Buffalo Sabres were dealt a major blow in the middle of an important early season divisional game in the form of an injury to their captain.
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin exited the Sabres’ Monday matinee contest against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury, the team announced.
The 26-year-old had gotten off to a productive start to his new year, entering Monday’s contest with three points through four games.
Dahlin is coming off one of his customary excellent seasons, as he spent the 2025-26 campaign leading the Sabres to their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2012 and finished in third place in the voting for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, marking his highest finish in the race for the award of his career.
Dahlin earned that positioning by racking up 74 points on 19 goals and 55 assists in 77 appearances. He then tacked on another 14 points on 4 goals and 10 assists in 13 postseason games as the Sabres advanced to the second round.
The veteran Swede is in the third season of an eight-year contract that has quickly aged into one of the best value deals in the NHL. Signed just before the explosion in player values, Dahlin makes $11 million against the salary cap in an environment that will quickly see the top defensemen in the NHL making over $20 million.
As Buffalo looks to build upon its memorable 2025-26 campaign, it’s been a tepid start to the year for the Sabres, who are off to a 2-3-0 start to the year pending the result of Monday’s game against the Panthers. Their four points in the standings have them in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings.
Following the showdown with Florida, Buffalo will hit the road for a three-game road trip for more divisional games in Canada against the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and then another game in Montreal.
