Sabres’ Konsta Helenius to miss next two games with upper-body injury

The Buffalo Sabres announced Thursday that forward Konsta Helenius will miss at least the team’s next two games with an upper-body injury.

Helenius, 20, sustained the injury during Buffalo’s 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday evening. The Sabres still have two games remaining on their current road trip, but Helenius is heading back to Buffalo early to undergo further evaluation.

Through 11 games with the Sabres this season, Helenius has one goal and three points. The 5-foot-11 forward is currently in the second season of his three-year, entry-level NHL contract.

With Helenius slated to miss time with his injury, the Sabres announced that forward Sam Carrick is expected to be activated off the injured reserve list and could return to the lineup in Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. The 34-year-old forward has been out since Oct. 15 while recovering from what the Sabres have termed a “middle-body injury.”

The Sabres originally selected Helenius in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Ylojarvi, Finland product made the jump from Liiga club Jukurit Mikkeli to North America immediately after being drafted, joining the AHL’s Rochester Americans for the 2024-25 season.

Helenius skated in 128 games with the Americans across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 regular seasons, collecting 35 goals and 97 points; he added five goals and nine points in 11 playoff contests with the club. He made his Sabres debut during the 2025-26 season, racking up one goal and four points in his first nine appearances, and added two goals in four games during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Sabres currently sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a 5-4-3 record and 13 points through 12 games this season. Fresh off their shutout win in San Jose, the Sabres are slated to return to action Thursday in Anaheim at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.