Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin day-to-day with a foot injury

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is out on a day-to-day basis after sustaining a foot injury in Tuesday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, the team announced Wednesday.

Lyubushkin has impressed early on after signing a two-year, $2.75M AAV contract with the Sabres in free agency last offseason. He’s notched one assist and has a +1 rating through three games, but he was perhaps most notable against Edmonton in his performance that was cut short due to injury. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound defenseman played an imposing and intimidating game that highlights his strengths, limiting chances against and laying big hits. A massive open-ice hit he laid on Oilers forward Dylan Holloway was his highlight of the night, and he only received a two-minute minor for roughing after the play.

His defensive performance has stood out in a good way, and his plays are a significant reason why the Sabres are off to a strong 2-1-0 start to the 2022-23 season. Hopefully, he won’t miss more than a handful of games and can continue building on his strong start sooner rather than later.

In the meantime for Buffalo, Casey Fitzgerald will likely step into a bottom-pairing role alongside Jacob Bryson. The team also has Lawrence Pilut stashed in the minors who does not require waivers, and he could be a call-up option if the team desires a more offensively-inclined replacement on the backend. It’s not a likely scenario, however, as Fitzgerald remains a slightly better stylistic fit for Lyubushkin’s game.