Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin has taken a brief leave of absence to take care of what head coach Lindy Ruff labeled Friday a “personal matter” in Sweden.
Dahlin and his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, revealed she received an emergency heart transplant earlier this 12 months in France while on vacation.
Ruff said there is no such thing as a timeframe for when the team captain may return, and he indicated there has not been a turn for the more severe for Matovac.
“He said all the pieces is OK,” Ruff told reporters Friday. “He’s got full support by our team.”
He added: “I believe it’s been incredibly hard. Not the simplest. I fully understand what this young man goes through. I don’t think you’ll be able to describe it and I don’t think you’ll be able to feel what he’s feeling. I’m pretty keen about the undeniable fact that nobody would wish to walk in his shoes and having handled what he has handled. He has undoubtedly got the support of everybody on this. That is larger than hockey.”
Dahlin and Matovac, each 25, detailed their harrowing offseason in a joint Instagram post in September ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Matovac began feeling sick during their vacation in France, which led to “major heart failure.”
She received CPR, which helped keep her alive and “ultimately saved her life.”
“Without her receiving lifesaving CRP, the result would have been unimaginable,” they wrote. “It is difficult to even think concerning the worst-case scenario.”
Matovac had to remain in a French hospital and received a heart transplant.
The pair was undergoing rehab to permit her return to Buffalo.
The engaged couple thanked, amongst others, the medical professionals, NHL, National Hockey League Players’ Association, the Sabres and the Pegula family — which owns the team, for his or her support.
“This has undoubtedly been essentially the most difficult chapter of our lives, nonetheless it’s something that we now have learned a lot from,” they wrote.
“We are going to proceed to grow from these experiences and are so grateful for all of the love and support we now have received. We’re truly blessed in so some ways and fully realize how fortunate we’re.”
Dahlin has appeared in 14 games for Buffalo (5-5-4) this season, scoring one goal and eight assists.
This marks his eighth season within the NHL, all with the franchise.
He had a wild fight earlier this season against Panthers star Brad Marchand.
“Family and person come before hockey,” Ruff said. “Hockey’s our job, hockey’s our lifeline, but family and private trump anything that comes before.”
