The Buffalo Sabres are going to have to play for a while without star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
Dahlin is taking a personal leave of absence from the Sabres for an undetermined amount of time.
The news was announced on Friday.
Why is Rasmus Dahlin leaving the Sabres?
Dahlin is going home to Sweden to be with his fiancee.
Over the summer, Dahlin's fiancee Carolina Matovac experienced sudden heart failure, received life-saving CPR, went on life support and eventually received a heart transplant.
Matovac has been in Sweden recovering while Dahlin has been playing the start of this NHL season.
According to The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn:
"Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Dahlin shared that everything is OK with Matovac. Dahlin has just had a difficult time focusing on hockey throughout this situation. Ruff said he has the full support of the organization and his teammates. There is not currently a timeline on how long Dahlin will be away."
Ruff added this quote: "I don’t think you can describe it. I don’t think you can feel what he’s feeling. I’m very passionate about the fact that no one would want to walk in his shoes and have dealt with what he dealt with. He has the support of everybody on this. This is larger than hockey.”
Dahlin is the Sabres captain and has nine points in 14 games this season. He's 25 years old.
The Sabres will support him and his family until he's ready to return.
MORE: Brad Marchand, Anze Kopitar, Corey Perry make awesome NHL history