Sabres’ Jiri Kulich dealing with blood clot issue

It looks like one of the youngsters on the Buffalo Sabres is going to be out longer than expected.

When speaking to the media on Monday, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff revealed that forward Jiri Kulich is dealing with a blood clot issue and is slated to be out for an extended period of time.

Ruff seemed optimistic when stating that he expects Kulich to return to the lineup later this season, but it all depends on how things go over the next month.

Kulich has been out of action since Nov. 1. He was placed on injured reserve last week, with the team reporting that he had fluid in his ears, which was causing problems for the Kadan, Czechia native.

The 21-year-old has missed the team’s last three games, which saw Buffalo lose to the Utah Mammoth, St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes, with the Sabres picking up a point in last Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Kulich had played in 12 games thus far, the Kadan, scoring three goals and two assists for five points. He has a plus/minus of -4, while averaging 16:22 of ice time per game.

This was set to be Kulich’s first full season in the NHL after spending a good chunk of time over the last two seasons with the Sabres’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans. He appeared in 62 games with Buffalo last year, scoring 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points. It came after a strong start to his professional career during the 2023-24 campaign, in which Kulich notched 27 goals and 45 points in 57 games with the Americans.

The Sabres (5-6-4) are scheduled to visit Utah on Wednesday night.