Sabres Recall Dennis Gilbert, Place Matt Grzelcyk On IR

Earlier this morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced they recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. In a corresponding roster move, the Sabres placed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk on injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment, retroactive to October 1st.

Unlike some of the other depth recalls this morning, Gilbert is guaranteed to play this evening. In the transaction announcement, Buffalo stated that captain Rasmus Dahlin will not play tonight due to an upper-body injury. Dahlin has played in all six of the Sabres’ games so far, scoring two goals and four points while averaging 23:38 of ice time per game.

Gilbert, 29, is in his second stint with the Sabres organization. Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, Gilbert has now played for six different organizations since turning pro in 2018-19. During his first stint with Buffalo in the 2024-25 season, Gilbert registered five assists in 25 games with a -3 rating. The Sabres eventually traded him to the Ottawa Senators at the deadline with Dylan Cozens.

After signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers, he was traded back to the Senators last November. He finished the season with one assist in eight NHL contests and 12 assists in 31 AHL appearances.

Meanwhile, Grzelcyk’s placement on the injured reserve was mostly procedural. He has not played since Buffalo’s first game of the 2026-27 campaign due to his undisclosed injury. Since he hasn’t played since October 1st, Grzelcyk is already eligible to be activated from the injured reserve once healthy.