Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is taking a leave of absence and returning to Sweden

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is taking a leave of absence and returning to Sweden to take care of a personal matter.

“I will say this: he said everything is OK,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Friday. “He’s got full support by our team.”

Ruff said there’s no timetable for the defenseman’s return.

Dahlin revealed in September that his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, needed a lifesaving heart transplant over the summer. He said his fiancée started feeling sick for several days during a vacation in France before her heart failed.

Dahlin said she required CPR on “multiple occasions and up to a couple of hours at a time,” and then spent weeks on life support before receiving a new heart.

Dahlin said Matovac was “on the path to a full recovery” and was rehabilitating in Sweden before she could be cleared to travel and join him in Buffalo.

The 25-year-old Dahlin is in his eighth NHL season after being selected first overall by Buffalo in the 2018 draft. The Swede has topped 50 points in each of his past four seasons and was selected to represent his country at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Dahlin has nine points in 14 games this season. Ruff said it’s been difficult for Dahlin to stay focused during his fiancée’s recovery.

“I think it’s been incredibly hard. Not easy,” Ruff said. “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.”

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