Friday afternoon the Sabres announced that Rasmus Dahlin will be taking a leave of absence from the team. According to head coach Lindy Ruff, it is to deal with a personal matter back in Sweden. There is currently no timetable on when the Sabres will get their captain back.
Rasmus Dahlin will be taking a temporary leave of absence, per Lindy Ruff. pic.twitter.com/ToQCvsYjMr
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 7, 2025
What We Know
The personal matter revolves around Dahlin’s fiancé, Caroline Matovac. Shortly before training camp while vacationing in France, Matovac fell ill. Over the next couple of days she experienced sudden heart failure, received life saving CPR, and eventually received a heart transplant. She stayed in Sweden to recover, while Dahlin returned to Buffalo for the start of the season.
Ruff told reporters that Dahlin told him everything was OK regarding Matovac.
“I don’t think you can feel what he’s feeling. I’m very passionate about the fact that no one would want to walk in his shoes and have dealt with what he dealt with,” Ruff said. “He has the support of everybody on this. This is larger than hockey.”
Rasmus Dahlin will be taking a temporary leave of absence from the Sabres to return to Sweden to be with his fiancée. Lindy Ruff said he has the full support of the organization. Everything is ok with Dahlin’s fiancée right now. No timetable on how long he’ll be gone.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) November 7, 2025
Blackhawks Captain Nick Foligno dealt with something similar with his daughter earlier this season. The sentiment with these sorts of things is that family always comes first. We at the Last Word On Sports wish Rasmus and his fiancé Caroline nothing but the best during this time.
Both Rasmus and Caroline have done valuable work in Buffalo and other areas of Western New York through the Rasmus Dahlin foundation. If you’re interested in learning about that community work, you can find the website here.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The post Star Buffalo Sabre Taking Leave of Absence for Personal Matter appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.