The Buffalo Sabres will miss Derek Roy. He’ll miss the next 4-6 months with a torn quad tendon that requires surgery. Roy suffered the injury in a 4-3 loss to Florida on Thursday when defenseman Dmitry Kulikov checked him into the boards. As Roy was taken off the ice, it seemed like Buffalo’s hopes and dreams went too. The team has struggled all season and Roy was an offensive highlight in an otherwise dim lineup.

The 27-year-old Ontario native had collected 10 goals and 25 assists for the Sabres. He leads the Sabres in both assists and points, and is second in goals behind Thomas Vanek, who has 13. Incredibly, 12 of his 25 assists have come on the power play, which doubles Vanek’s team-second-best six power play assists. Also, on a team that ranks 24th in the league with a minus-47 rating; Roy is holding his own at minus-1.

The Sabres are anything but a hot team. They’re currently 12th in the east with 32 points and hold a slim lead over the horrendous Maple Leafs, Devils and Islanders. They’ve only managed two two-game winning streaks this season and the four combined wins during those streaks came in post-regulation play. Losing Roy is going to test their ability to stay above water and not become permanently associated with the dregs of the Eastern Conference.

What are the Sabres to do now? With Roy out and a struggling group of forwards remaining, it doesn’t look like the team will break their slump soon. Losing a top-line center and replacing him with a young, untested forward will hurt. They’re not dead in the water by any means as they’re only eight points behind eighth-seeded Boston, but it’s a lot harder to go up the standings than it is to go down.