Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said forward Jiri Kulich is expected to miss a "significant amount of time" with a blood clot issue that he deemed to be "pretty serious."

Kulich, 21 has five points, 12 blocked shots, nine hits and four penalty minutes while averaging 16:22 in ice time across 12 games.

Ruff said he's hopeful Kulich can return by the end of the regular season.

Kulich's absence is the newest in a long line of issues with the Sabres. They're on a three game losing skid, and sit in last in the Atlantic Division with just 13 points. With their star forward Alex Tuch in a contract year, they're in the midst of figuring out whether they should trade or re-sign him. 

Buffalo has the longest playoff drought in the league at 14 seasons, and the team's poor play combined with injuries and contract issues could be a sign things aren't going to change anytime soon.