There was concern the hit Devils d-man David Schlemko put on Evander Kane this weekend may have caused serious damage to Kane’s knee.
And with good reason.
On Monday, the Sabres announced that Kane would miss the next 4-6 weeks with a left MCL injury. It’s a pretty tough blow for a team that’s struggled out of the gate -- 2-6-0, tied for last in the Atlantic -- and struggled to score goals this year.
Buffalo has just 16 through the first eight games.
Kane hadn’t been lighting it up -- just a goal and three points this season -- but was averaging over 20 minutes per night while playing with a variety of different forwards. Head coach Dan Bylsma has juggled his lines a fair bit, looking to find some chemistry in a group that was completely remodeled this offseason by GM Tim Murray.
In the wake of Kane’s injury, here’s what Buffalo’s lines may look like:
No Kane. Sabres' lines: Deslauriers-O'Reilly-Ennis, Larsson-Eichel-Reinhart, Moulson-Girgensons-Gionta, Foligno-Legwand/Schalller-McGinn.
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) October 26, 2015
The Kane injury is also the latest to hit the Sabres, who’ve had little luck in the health department this season. Defenseman Zach Bogosian has yet to suit up while dealing with a lower-body injury, and No. 1 netminder Robin Lehner has been sidelined since Oct. 10 with an ankle sprain.
As for a return date? Should Kane miss the full six weeks, he’d be in line to come back around the first week in December -- meaning he could miss up to 15 games.