Zach Bogosian Out Four-To-Six Weeks

The 2017-18 season just went from bad to worse for Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian.  After suffering a lower-body injury in practice earlier today, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that the injury (which is believed to be an ankle issue) will keep him out of the Buffalo lineup for the next four-to-six weeks.

This is the second major injury that Bogosian has suffered this year.  He also missed the opening 25 games of the season with a lower-body issue sustained during the preseason.  As a result, he has played in just 18 games so far, where he has struggled.  He’s averaging his lowest ice time since his rookie campaign back in 2008-09 with Atlanta while being a non-factor at the offensive end with just a single assist.

The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his contract after this one with a cap hit just over $5.14MM.  This injury all but kills the already-remote possibility of the Sabres finding a taker for him before the February 26th trade deadline.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Buffalo may consider the possibility of buying Bogosian out at the end of the season, assuming he doesn’t have a resurgent final two months once he returns.  The cost of doing so would result in a cap hit of just over $1.14MM for two years and then $2MM in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.