Carrick is excited to get back soon

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - On Tuesday Sam Carrick was back on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres for the first time since being injured March 31 against the New York Islanders. Carrick, who missed 12 games, was trying to stand up for a teammate and got hurt when he fell awkwardly during the fight. Carrick said,

“It was a freak accident, I will say I didn’t break any bones, it wasn’t my shoulder, I mean I’ve been in lots of fights in my career and that was the first time that’s happened, so it’s been a good long road to get back to here.”

The original word from doctors to Carrick was this injury could be 6-to-8 weeks. He said,

“It’s not really a very common hockey injury, so you really don’t have a lot of baseline to go off of. I was originally told it could be 4-to-6 weeks, it could be 6-to-8 weeks, we don’t know, so I had that six week as my goal and a huge credit to our training staff here.

Carrick came to Buffalo from the New York Rangers in a trade on March 6 for a third and a sixth round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He of course didn’t like having to sit out games, but he has enjoyed seeing how his new teammates have grown,

“It’s been amazing, I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised, just from the time I’ve been here, just to see what kind of group we have here, how resilient and how close we are, and it can be a lot of pressure, but from what I’ve seen so far, guys have done an unbelievable job.

“Boston was a heavy team, they play a different style than what we like to play and I think we were able to overcome that and rise above it and really figure them out after a few games. It was stressful for me to watch, but they did a great job.”

When Carrick arrived here he had four goals in 60 games with the Rangers. In 13 games with Buffalo he had five goals. At the end of the day, Carrick just said it's the way he was used,

“I don’t want to talk too much about the Rangers and what went on there, that’s in the past, and I would say I was put in a lot of really good situations to succeed here and sometimes it’s a little bit of puck luck, sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time and when you start to get on a little bit of a roll, and when you start feeling good, the flood gates can open up a little.”

Carrick didn’t take line rushes on Tuesday and was on the ice long after his teammates left the ice so it’s not looking like he’ll play in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, but Lindy Ruff makes it sound like he could play soon,

“Getting the OK yesterday from the doctor to join practice clears him. Once you’re cleared to practice, you’re within days of playing. He’s out there getting some contact and his fitness levels are good and he’s worked really hard to be ready, so it’ll be just a day-to-day decision on him.”

The Sabres moved Konsta Helenius from the “Black Aces” to the regular group for practice. Ruff said,

“Just bring in another player, he’s played a lot of center and I think with (Noah) Ostlund out, we have a center for practice."

Montreal stayed in Tampa and had yesterday off and practiced there today. Afterwards they left for Buffalo.