Buffalo Sabres forward Jiri Kulich to miss significant time with a blood clot

Buffalo Sabres
Jiri Kulich #20 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during warmups before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center on April 17, 2025 in Buffalo, New York. Photo credit (Photo by Rebecca Villagracia/Getty Images)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) — Buffalo Sabres forward Jiri Kulich is out indefinitely because of a blood clot, coach Lindy Ruff announced following practice on Monday.

Ruff didn’t provide any further details except to say it’s “pretty serious,” and that the second-year player will miss “significant time.” The coach said the team will have a better idea on Kulich’s status within three to four weeks.

Kulich had already missed three games with what the Sabres described as an illness.

The 21-year-old has three goals and five points in 12 games for Buffalo this season, and coming off a rookie campaign in which he had 15 goals and 24 points in 62 outings. He’s from the Czech Republic and was selected by Buffalo in the first round of the 2022 draft.

The Sabres are 1-2-4 in their past seven and travel to play at Utah on Wednesday.

Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Rebecca Villagracia/Getty Images)