Hours before visiting the Washington Capitals, the Buffalo Sabres announced they have suspended veteran forward Patrik Berglund indefinitely for failing to report to the team.
The 30-year-old center had been sidelined with what coach Phil Housley deemed an illness in recent days, missing the Sabres' last two games. But now, just five months after he landed in Buffalo as part of a blockbuster trade for Ryan O'Reilly, Berglund has been disciplined for apparently avoiding the team, as reported by The Canadian Press.
The Sabres, who said there would be no further comment or information on Berglund's absence at this time, got 23 games from the former All-Rookie Team honoree up until this week. Just two seasons removed from a career-best 23-goal performance, he'd logged two goals and two assists for Buffalo in 2018-19 after spending the first decade of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues.
Without Berglund, who has three years remaining on his current contract, the Sabres have remained contenders in the Atlantic Division, winning two straight to enter Saturday's game at 19-9-4, good enough for third place in the division behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs, two Stanley Cup favorites.
