Sabres’ Jacob Bryson leaves game vs. Canadiens with upper-body injury

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson left Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens and did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury, the club announced.

Bryson, 28, logged 6:17 of ice time and recorded a plus-1 rating before leaving the game midway through the second period. The Sabres announced Bryson would not return as the third period began at the Bell Centre.

The 5’9″ lefty has appeared in 33 games with the Sabres this season, collecting two goals and five points to go along with an even rating. Entering Thursday’s game, Bryson had averaged 10:18 of ice time with the Sabres over the first half of the 2025-26 campaign.

Bryson’s departure came the same night that Michael Kesselring returned on defense for the Sabres after a two-game absence. The Sabres have not made the playoffs since 2011 but currently occupy an Eastern Conference wild card spot and are positioned to be buyers at the trade deadline for the first time in many years.

A fourth-round pick (No. 99 overall) of the Sabres in the 2017 NHL Draft, Bryson spent three seasons at Providence College before turning pro in the Buffalo organization in 2019. The London, Ontario product made his NHL debut in 2020-21 and has been a consistent depth defender for the club over parts of the six seasons since.

Bryson’s current contract with the Sabres carries a $900,000 NHL cap hit for the 2025-26 season, following which he can become an unrestricted free agent. As it stands, Bryson is currently No. 6 on the Sabres’ defensive depth chart, following Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Kesselring.

In 286 career games with the Sabres, Bryson has collected six goals and 48 points while going minus-39 in 15:38 of average ice time. Like every other drafted-and-developed player on the Sabres roster, Bryson has yet to appear in a Stanley Cup Playoff game in his career — although that could soon change.