BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury that is not yet considered season-ending.
Coach Ralph Krueger on Saturday was unable to provide a fixed timetable except to say Eichel is "out for the foreseeable future." The update came after Eichel traveled to see a specialist to further determine the severity of the injury.
"Because of the nature of the injury, we can't put a fixed date on [Eichel's return] and we're expecting it... to go on a little longer," Krueger said.
Under the NHL's COVID-19 protocol rules, Eichel is required to spend seven days in quarantine as a result of the trip, meaning he will miss at least Buffalo's next four games. He's already missed two games after being hurt Sunday.
"I have no problem making statements. An injury of this nature just needs more assessment and more time to understand it," Krueger said. "We do not know for certain the time frame on it, and we just know that it will be there will be some time here from shorter all the way to [a season ending injury], it but it's somewhere in between that."
"Nobody in the National Hockey League speaks specifically about injuries unless their season ending and if it did become that, we would be able to address it in a different way but for now... that's all I can say about it."
Krueger also announced Saturday that Sabres rookie forward Dylan Cozens remains "day-to-day" and will not play Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Krueger defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen will be good to go.
