The Buffalo Sabres weren’t even through their first day of training camp when a key star mysteriously left the ice. Sabres star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin exited practice after just a few minutes. The Sabres stated that Dahlin would not be returning for the remainder of the session and no further update was given.

Ruff did not provide any specifics of whether Dahlin will be available by Saturday when the Sabres open their exhibition schedule at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it would likely be the team’s approach to be cautious with their top defenseman.

Reforming their identity as a Lindy Ruff team after more than a decade wandering the wilderness outside playoff contention, the Sabres opened training camp Wednesday with hard practice sessions to meet the competitive standard the returning coach seeks to implement.