The Buffalo Sabres have just one game on the slate this week with the upcoming NHL All-Star break, and it could’ve have come at a better time. Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson are all day-to-day.
The Thompson news is the most unexpected of the three. Cozens and Samuelsson have been day-to-day for a bit, but per The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, both practiced on Monday and expect to play Wednesday.
Per the team, Thompson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. We’ll have to wait and see if he can play on Wednesday when the Sabres host the Carolina Hurricanes.
The other question then, becomes Thompson’s status for the All-Star Game. The Skills Competition is Friday, before the All-Star Game itself on Saturday. One would hope that if Thompson is still dealing with any sort of nagging injury, he would not go to Florida. No reason to risk aggravating something for a (pointless) event, even if it would be fun to see him take his talents to a prominent stage.
And – if that is indeed the case and Thompson doesn’t go, could Rasmus Dahlin be sent in as his replacement? Dahlin is more than deserving of an All-Star nod, and since the teams aren’t segregated by forwards vs. defense, he could easily slot in.