Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff provided some optimistic injury updates after Monday's practice. He noted neither defenseman Michael Kesselring nor goalie Alex Lyon should miss an extended period of time with their recent ailments.
Ruff, who also confirmed forward Jason Zucker will return to the lineup Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, said Kesselring should resume skating by week's end, while Lyon belongs in
"that day-to-day category."
Although that's great news for the Sabres after seeing their 10-game winning streak snapped by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the endless stream of injuries since before training camp even began has been an unfortunate storyline for Buffalo this season.
Jiri Kulich, Justin Danforth and Conor Timmins are the other Blue and Gold players currently sidelined by various issues.
Big things were expected from Kulich in his second full NHL season, but he's out indefinitely because of a blood clot. Meanwhile, Timmins was playing a vital role on Buffalo's second-ranked penalty kill and Danforth was playing bottom-six depth minutes before suffering a broken kneecap.
In all, only six members of the Sabres' roster have played in all 40 games so far in 2025-26.
Jarmo Kekalainen must bolster the Buffalo Sabres' depth, an area never fully addressed during the failed Kevyn Adams era
One of Kevyn Adams' biggest flaws as a general manager before he was dismissed on Dec. 15 was an inability (or unwillingness) to spend readily available salary-cap space on depth players. It created a situation where every injury became a massive obstacle for the team.
Those problems are starting to show through again as Jarmo Kekalainen takes over the front office.
Buffalo's forward injuries have forced Peyton Krebs, one of the NHL's worst offensive forwards at 5-on-5, to play on the first line consistently in recent weeks. That's not an ideal scenario, especially given how well linemates Tage Thompson and Josh Doan have been playing.
It's a similar story defensively. The absences of Kesselring and Timmins have forced Jacob Bryson and Zach Metsa into the lineup every night. Their limited contributions leave Ruff with little option but to shorten his bench to the top four defensemen in close games.
Adams built rosters that may have been competitive at full strength, but having your preferred 20-man group available for an entire 82-game schedule simply isn't realistic in the hard-hitting NHL.
So, one of Kekalainen's first orders of business as GM is bringing in a few veterans, ideally those with some playoff experience under their belts, to better fill those voids when they arise.
It's a small step, and the first players Kekalainen acquires probably won't be All-Star talents, but it'll put the Sabres in far better position to handle injuries.
Just how much has Buffalo suffered because of that issue this season? Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic estimates the Blue and Gold have lost 2.1 wins due to injury absences, which is the sixth-highest total in the league at around the halfway mark of the campaign.
Although that may not should like a lot on the surface, another four points would move the Sabres from fourth to first in the tightly contested Eastern Conference wild-card race. They'd also be just three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.
So, injuries can definitely make a significant impact on a team's postseason chase, especially when the in-house replacement options are underwhelming.
Kekalainen must start plugging those holes as soon as possible because, based on how Buffalo's season has gone so far, the next rash of injuries is probably right around the corner.