Rasmus Dahlin will take a leave of absence from the Buffalo Sabres and return to Sweden to take care of a personal matter.
“I will say this, he said everything is OK,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Friday of the defenseman. “He’s got full support by our team.”
Ruff said there’s no timetable for Dahlin’s return.
Dahlin and his fiancée Carolina shared a letter on Sept. 19 regarding a “traumatic experience” they had during the offseason.
In the letter, Dahlin said Carolina had major heart failure while the two were vacationing in France early in the summer. She received CPR on multiple occasions and was transferred to a hospital where she was on life support for several weeks before she received a heart transplant while still in France.
“This has undoubtedly been the most challenging chapter of our lives, however it is something that we have learned so much from,” Dahlin said in the letter. “We will continue to grow from these experiences and are so grateful for all the love and support we have received. We are truly blessed in so many ways and fully realize how fortunate we are.
We share all this with you in hopes that we can all appreciate our experiences, the people closest to us, and the importance of fully living each day.”
Ruff said on Friday, “I think it’s been incredibly hard. Not easy,” for Dahlin to stay focused throughout his fiancée’s ordeal.
“I fully understand what this young man is going through. I don’t think you can describe it, and I don’t think you can feel what he’s feeling. I’m pretty passionate about the fact that no one would want to walk in his shoes and have to deal with what he dealt with. He is undoubtedly got the support of everybody on this. This is larger than hockey.”
Dahlin has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 14 games this season. The Sabres captain was the No. 1 pick by Buffalo in the 2018 NHL Draft and has 369 points (84 goals, 285 assists) in 523 games.
Buffalo (5-5-4) plays at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (7 pm. ET; FDSNSO, MSG-B).
