Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will take a brief depart of absence to cope with a private matter in Sweden, coach Lindy Ruff stated Friday. There isn’t a timetable for his return.
In line with The Athletic, Dahlin will return to his house nation to assist his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, who’s in restoration from a coronary heart transplant.
“He stated all the things is OK,” Ruff stated. “He is received full assist by our workforce.”
Dahlin and Matovac introduced in September that the latter skilled main coronary heart failure on trip in France this summer season. She acquired life-saving CPR for hours at a time and was transferred to a hospital, the place she remained on life assist for weeks whereas she awaited a coronary heart transplant. Matovac had the transplant later in the summertime and ultimately returned to Sweden to proceed the rehabilitation course of.
“I feel it has been extremely onerous,” Ruff stated. “Not straightforward. I absolutely perceive what this younger man goes via. I do not assume you may describe it, and I do not assume you may really feel what he is feeling. I am fairly enthusiastic about the truth that nobody would need to stroll in his sneakers and have handled what he handled. He has undoubtedly received the assist of all people on this. That is bigger than hockey.”
Dahlin launched into the NHL season with the Sabres throughout Matovac’s restoration however will step away quickly after 14 video games. Regardless of the heavy emotional toll of his fiancée’s well being, Dahlin was extremely productive because the anchor of the Sabres’ protection and amassed 9 factors whereas averaging greater than 24 minutes per contest.
“Household and particular person come earlier than hockey,” Ruff stated. “Hockey’s our job. Hockey’s our lifeline. However household and private trump something that comes earlier than.”
The Sabres chosen Dahlin with the No. 1 total choose within the 2018 NHL Draft. They should press on for the foreseeable future with out their most dependable defenseman — a three-time NHL All-Star who’s in his second 12 months because the workforce’s captain.
