BUFFALO – Just how antsy was defenseman Zach Bogosian to join his Sabres teammates for practice at noon today?
“I was here at like 8 o’clock, I think,” Bogosian said this afternoon after skating inside the First Niagara Center. “I was a little excited. It’s nice to be around the guys.”
Bogosian, who’s been sidelined with a lower-body injury since the third day of training camp, is finally nearing a return. While there’s no timetable for his season debut, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma wants him to participate in a morning skate next week.
More on Bogosian, who’s day-to-day, later. The Sabres’ blue line is still thin.
Sabres defenseman Mike Weber will undergo knee surgery today and is week-to-week, Bylsma said. Bylsma said Weber was dealing with “chronic problems with the knee.”
Bylsma said the Sabres will have a firmer timetable for Weber, who has missed two games, after the surgery.
Bogosian, meanwhile, enjoyed today’s practice, his first in a month and just his second this season. Bylsma characterized the 25-year-old as “rambunctious.”
Being around the team is different when you’re injured, Bogosian said.
“You try to stay as positive as possible and try to help out the guys that are actually playing in the games,” he said. “You feel like you’re part of the team, but you’re kind of on the outside looking in. To actually be out there with the guys, mixing it up, laughing, joking around, makes it a good time.”
Bogosian wanted to be smart with the injury and let it heal properly.
“I’ve played through injuries before, but this is one that if it wasn’t taken care of right away, it could be nagging for a while,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure, as well as the training staff, it’s feeling good and 100 percent before I come back. It’s a long season, I know. I’m antsy as well as everyone else to get back. But you have to be smart about it as well.”
Bogosian spent some of practice beside Rasmus Ristolainen. Bylsma, however, said he hasn’t chosen a partner for him yet.