Rasmus Dahlin returns to practice as Sabres embark for Europe

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — All-Star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has resumed practicing with the Sabres after missing most of the first week of preseason with a mid-body injury.

Dahlin’s return wearing a non-contact jersey in practice Tuesday gives the Sabres a healthy roster of 27 players traveling overseas to play an exhibition game Friday in Munich, Germany, and being the regular season the following week in Prague, Czechia.

“I’m very, very happy to be back on the ice,” Dahlin said. “Haven’t practice with the team for a while and kind of been on the outside looking in. It’s not so much fun. So I was excited today again.”

Dahlin said he “was probably too excited,” for the first training camp practice Wednesday, which might have contributed to him getting hurt. “Stuff happens sometimes and you just have to deal with it and work hard to get back.”

Watching the Sabres skate through their first series of practices under returning coach Lindy Ruff, and outscore opponents 15-4 in two preseason wins at KeyBank Center impressed Dahlin.

Ruff “knows what he’s doing,” Dahlin said with a laugh. “I feel like he’s very hard on these guys about the details, about working hard and doing the little things right. And I love it. That’s what you have to do to have a good start and have a good year.”

Dahlin has been one of Buffalo’s alternate captains for the past three seasons, and the 24-year-old is the presumed favorite to be selected as the club’s 21st full-time captain before the start of the season.

In the limited practice time so far, Ruff, a former Sabres captain, has observed Dahlin’s “hunger for success,” as much as his high-level skills displayed by Buffalo’s top overall pick from the 2018 draft.

“The fact that he wants this team to be a winner,” Ruff said. “He wants to be part of this team. … He wants this group to be success, and he wants to be the guy who helps lead.”

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While the rest of the squad plays in Buffalo’s third preseason game Tuesday night at Pittsburgh, the 27 players who practiced in the morning will be the team that travels to Europe for the start of the season.

Jiri Kulich, the 21-year-old leading goal scorer in Rochester last season who “blew the doors off” in Buffalo’s prospect challenge tournament is in the travel party, along forward Lukas Rousek, defenseman Kale Clague, and goaltender James Reimer.

Those players could be assigned to the minors when the Sabres return to the U.S. in 12 days, and the club must trim its roster to 23.

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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here .