Sam Carrick instantly emerged as one of the NHL's best additions at the 2026 trade deadline by giving the Buffalo Sabres' fourth line an incredible boost over the past month.
Now the forward's status for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is uncertain after injuring his arm amid a fight with the New York Islanders' Anders Lee on Tuesday night.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced Thursday that Carrick is officially being listed as week-to-week with the upper-body ailment. He hasn't been ruled out for the postseason.
Buffalo has less than two weeks left in the regular season. It'll wrap up the 82-game schedule April 15 against the Dallas Stars. The franchise's first appearance in the NHL playoffs since 2011 will begin a few days later.
Carrick had recorded six points (five goals and one assist) in 13 appearances since being acquired from the New York Rangers.
The 34-year-old center also provided the Sabres, the league's worst faceoff team, with high-end performance at the dot, winning 57.3% of his draws.
Josh Dunne will get the first crack at replacing Sam Carrick for Buffalo
Dunne joined the Sabres' fourth line alongside Jordan Greenway and Beck Malenstyn at the morning skate ahead of Thursday night's clash with the Ottawa Senators, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
The Clarkson University product hasn't provided much of an offensive spark in his previous stints in the lineup, tallying just four points (one goal and three helpers) in 31 games. That said, he does bring some faceoff acumen with a 53.1% win rate this season.
It'll be interesting to see how Buffalo's bottom line performs without Carrick. The group had struggled mightily in the weeks leading up to the NHL's Olympic break in February, but the trio of Carrick, Malenstyn and Zach Benson had been highly productive as of late.
Dunne last played for the Sabres in a March 5 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What about prized Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius?
Although some fans have been clamoring for the return of Helenius, who scored four points in nine games during his first NHL stint earlier this season, the front office would prefer to avoid pulling that lever as injuries arise.
That's because the first season of the 19-year-old forward's three-year, entry-level contract would get burned if he plays another game for Buffalo this season (regular season or playoffs). Otherwise, the entire deal would slide, starting instead in 2026-27.
The Sabres aren't going to sacrifice their playoff run to keep him in the AHL with the Rochester Americans — if a major scoring need arises in the top six, he'll be their best recall option — but it's certainly more of a "break glass in case of emergency" situation.
Buffalo is facing some tricky salary-cap constraints this summer, and it'll have more in the future if it ultimately re-signs impending unrestricted free agent Alex Tuch to a high-dollar extension, so keeping the prospect's salary lower for an extra year would help.
Helenius has been terrific for the Amerks this season, posting 55 points in 54 games, and has a great chance to emerge as a full-time member of the Sabres next season.