Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is taking a personal leave of absence and traveling home to Sweden to take care of a personal matter, head coach Lindy Ruff announced Friday.
The hockey player's timeline for a return is unknown, but Ruff stated that according to Dahlin, "everything is okay." He added that Dahlin has the full support of his teammates and the organization.
Earlier this year Dahlin announced that his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, needed a lifesaving heart transplant over the summer, after she became ill while on vacation in France and suffered heart failure. She was continuing her recovery in Sweden.
“I don't think you can describe it, and I don't think you can feel what he's feeling,” Ruff said. “No one would want to walk in his shoes and have dealt with what he dealt with. He has undoubtedly got the support of everybody on this. This is larger than hockey.”
Dahlin, the Sabres' first overall pick in the 2018 National Hockey League Draft, is in his eighth season with the team and was selected to represent his native Sweden in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.