The Buffalo Sabres have turned to Dennis Gilbert for immediate help on the blue line, recalling the defenseman from the AHL’s Rochester Americans and placing Matt Grzelcyk on injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment, retroactive to October 1st.
Gilbert won’t just be on the roster - he’s set to dress tonight. That became even more important once the Sabres announced captain Rasmus Dahlin will not play because of an upper-body injury. Dahlin has appeared in all six of Buffalo’s games this season, putting up two goals and four points while logging 23:38 of ice time per night.
For Gilbert, 29, this is a return to familiar territory. He’s back for his second stint with the Sabres organization after originally joining the team during the 2024-25 season. Buffalo acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks, the club that drafted him in 2015, and he has now skated for six different organizations since turning pro in 2018-19.
His first go-round with the Sabres produced five assists in 25 games, along with a minus-3 rating. Buffalo later moved him to the Ottawa Senators at the deadline as part of the Dylan Cozens deal.
Gilbert’s path has bounced around since then. He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as an unrestricted free agent, was traded back to Ottawa last November, and wrapped up the season with one assist in eight NHL games and 12 assists in 31 AHL contests.
As for Grzelcyk, the injured reserve move looks more like paperwork than a major setback. He hasn’t played since Buffalo’s first game of the 2026-27 campaign because of the undisclosed injury, and since he has already been out since October 1st, he is eligible to come off IR as soon as he’s healthy.
In Other News...
Sabres Open Road Trip With A Dahlin Problem Ruff Must Solve
Buffalos road trip opens with a lineup wrinkle that lands squarely on the blue line. Rasmus Dahlin is day-to-day, and the Sabres are heading out without their top defenseman as the trip begins, leaving Lindy Ruff with an early personnel decision to sort through before the games start to stack up.
For a team already trying to settle into the rhythm of life away from home, Dahlins absence changes the look and feel of the defense group right away. Ruff has to manage the opening leg without one of his most important players traveling with the team, and the next update on Dahlin will shape how Buffalo handles the rest of the trip. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Nearly Stole A Point Despite A Growing Problem
Even with Rasmus Dahlin out injured and Matt Grzelcyk on injured reserve, the Sabres found a way to push Montreal all the way to a shootout. Olen Zellweger gave Buffalo a jolt with two goals, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 35 shots, and a game that could have slipped away turned into a night where the Sabres were close enough to steal a point.
The bigger concern, though, is how often Buffalo is having to patch together its blue line just to stay afloat. The Canadiens took control in the second period before the Sabres battled back to force overtime, but the defensive absences have become hard to ignore, especially with another roster move needed to cover the gap and keep the group functional. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Injury Uncertainty Is Starting To Put Real Pressure On Buffalo
The Sabres early-season juggling act got a little more complicated this week, with head coach Lindy Ruff offering no significant update on Rasmus Dahlin after the defensemans upper-body injury. Buffalo has already had to lean on lineup changes throughout its 3-3-1 start, and the absence of one of its most important blue-line pieces only adds to the uncertainty around a team still trying to settle in.
The injury list is not easing up, either. Goalie Alex Lyon has hit a slight setback and will be off the ice for a few days, while Tyson Kozak has been sent back to Buffalo for further evaluation, leaving the Sabres to keep adjusting on the fly as the schedule moves on. For a club that has been trying to build some rhythm, the constant shuffling is starting to feel like more than just a short-term inconvenience. [Read more 🡒]