The Buffalo Sabres decided not to re-sign defenseman Henrik Tallinder after his four-year, $13.5 million contract expired, so he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs instead on a tryout basis. In his first match against his old team though, Tallinder needed to be helped off the ice, per TSN’s Jonas Siegel and the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington.
Tallinder was hit awkwardly into the boards by Sabres defenseman Mike Weber and suffered a possible shoulder or collarbone injury as a result.
Update: Tallinder indeed has a left shoulder injury and won’t return.
Before exiting the contest, Tallinder had a minus-one rating in 8:53 minutes worth of playing time. He averaged 18:59 minutes per contest in 2013-14, which is a step below the 20-plus minutes he often logged in his prime.
Now 35 years old, he’s not expected to play anything more than a supporting role in Toronto if he makes the team at all.