Bogosian Injury Concern https://t.co/No6bQgpFTP pic.twitter.com/EyVXNN3EXU
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 2, 2016
The Buffalo Sabres defenseman have announced that defenseman Zach Bogosian has suffered a knee injury and will not return to the game tonight.
The injury occurred toward the end of the first period of play in Minnesota with the Sabres leading 1-0 on a goal by Ryan O'Reilly.
Bogosian skated nine shifts for 5:45 TOI, had one hit, and one takeaway.
In eight games played previous to Tuesday night, Bogosian averaged 20:38 TOI with 5 hits and 15 blocked shots. He has landed 13 shots on goal.
Dan Bylsma and Terry Murray were forced to roll five defensemen to compensate for the loss of Bogosian.
Bogosian will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Buffalo.
In the event that Bogosian is forced to miss games as he recovers from the knee ailment, the Sabres can play seventh D-man Casey Nelson. Nelson and Bogosian are right shot D.
The Sabres already have suffered serious injury dramain the first month of this season with the long term losses of top six forwards Jack Eichel (high ankle sprain) and Evander Kane (cracked ribs). Neither player is expected to return to the lineup for the next 4-5 weeks. Perhaps even longer.
Buffalo can ill afford to have another major injury sidleine another minute-munching, reliable, puck moving contributor in Bogosian.
The eight year NHL veteran has been one of Buffalo's stabilizing forces in the first eight games of this season that has seen the Sabres have to play without Eichel and Kane.
If the imaging on Bogosian's knee reveals a serious injury, Sabres GM Tim Murray will likely intensify his efforts to trade for a veteran defender. Murray has been actively shopping for another top four D-man for the past 10-12 months. Anahaim's Cam Fowler has been on Murrray's very short list of trade targets.
Winnipeg's Jacob Trouba has also been linked to Buffalo since the NHL Draft in June.
Last week, Ducks GM Bob Murray said that he is interetsed in keeping his veteran core intact for one more season so that they can take another kick at Lord Stanley's Can.
If Fowler truly is off the market after the past 10-12 months of trade speculation, then Trouba becomes the hot target for teams seeking a top four puck moving D. Trouba is an outstanding unsigned restricted free agent who has exactly one month to sign with the Jets or be traded to another team. Six months ago, Trouba's agent asked the Jets for a trade on behalf of the 22 year old right/left shot defenseman with oodles of offensive ability and production capabilities. The NHL collective bargaining agreement states that if unsigned restricted free agents do not sign by December 1, then they have to sit out the entire season. Trouba and the Jets cannot find common ground on a new contract term/dollars. Trouba also doesn't like the role that the Jets have redefined for him. Thus, the trade request.
The Sabres have $3.7 million in available salary cap space today.
Dan Bylsma's defense core was thin with a healthy Bogosian.
If the 26 year old Bogosian is lost long term, it will present serious issues for the Sabres blueline.
Giving more TOI to Rasmus Ristolainen, Dmitry Kulikov, and Jake McCabe is not an issue. They are young, already skate north of 20 minutes TOI per game, and can easily absorb the additional responsibility. Kulikov skated a season high 27:40 TOI, Ristolainen logged 25:18 TOI and McCabe ate 22:21.Gorges skated 22:42 TOI and Franson skated 15:42 TOI.
Josh Gorges and Cody Franson are not equipped to play effectively while skating extra heavy minutes per game.
Bylsma will have to hand out Bogosian's minutes very judiciously.
Oh, by the way, the Sabres won their third straight game with the 2-1 victory in St. Paul. Goals by Ryan O'Reilly and Johan Larsson gave the Sabres their third straight regulation win. Larsson scored ten goals last season and five were game winners. He has two goals already this season and both are game winning goals.
The Sabres host the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.