By TIM GRAHAM

PITTSBURGH - Maxim Afinogenov's immediate future looks grim, and there are no guarantees his long-term prospects will be much rosier.

The Buffalo Sabres' speedy right wing had another setback in his rehabilitation from a Sept. 5 concussion. He experienced headaches for the second straight day Saturday and is still forbidden from exercising.

The NHL stipulates a player must be symptom-free from a concussion for seven consecutive days before being cleared to exercise. If a symptom resurfaces, the clock resets.

"He had another headache (Saturday)," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "So that puts him seven days away again. Obviously, it's discouraging."

Afinogenov suffered the concussion when a puck struck him in the forehead during a workout in Russia.

A recent story in the Toronto Globe and Mail told the tale of Phoenix Coyotes center Krys Kolanos, who still is dealing with the aftermath of a serious concussion he suffered when Sabres winger Vaclav Varada checked him from behind into the boards last season.

That incident occurred Jan. 19, but Kolanos can do little more than walk and stretch because of headaches. He had been cleared to play, but he experienced dizziness after getting bumped slightly in a preseason game.

Ruff was asked if he worries Afinogenov's situation could turn into a Kolanos-type saga.

"How can you not realize that fear?" Ruff replied. "As an organization we're very concerned. First of all, we're concerned about his health. And as a team we know we're missing a big asset in the first part of the season.

"I've thought of scenarios that (Afinogenov) could miss half a year as a worst-case scenario. If he misses another month he's missed a quarter of the season as it is."

Afinogenov would still be several weeks away from playing once he is cleared to start engaging in physical activity.

"Once he got through seven days without a headache, let's say a minimum - a minimum - of three weeks to a month," Ruff said.

"He's a long way away. There's been no weight training, no strength training, no contact, no nothing for . . . we're going on two months. How long is it going to take him to get back, let alone just upper-body, lower-body strength getting back to where he was last year so he doesn't risk injury when he plays?"

The Sabres sent Afinogenov for additional testing last week to confirm whether his symptoms were directly related to the concussion.

"We've gone through this whole scenario, "Are the headaches concussion-related?' " Ruff said. "That's why they did the MRI and they did the bone scan. They were trying to hopefully pick something up, to find a little bone bruise or something that would say, "This is why he's getting the headaches.'

"When they didn't find anything they know that what he's suffering is concussion symptoms. As I understand it, there's nothing we can do."

The day before the concussion Afinogenov had agreed to terms on a two-year, $2.4 million contract. But because he has yet to pass his yearly physical he won't get paid until he is added to the Sabres' roster.
The Sabres dressed seven defensemen Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving Dmitri Kalinin and Brian Campbell their first action of the season. Defenseman James Patrick and right wing Rob Ray were healthy scratches.

Ruff was trying to counter the Penguins' offense, which entered the game boasting three of the NHL's top four scorers in Mario Lemieux (16 points), Alexei Kovalev and Aleksey Morozov (11 points each).

"We're going to try to utilize more speed," Ruff said before the game. "We know we're going to see a lot of Lemieux. . . . To make sure you do a nice job against Lemieux you won't use one of your lines anyway."

Here's something else to ponder: The Penguins are in desperate need of blue-line assistance and might have appreciated the chance to review some of the Sabres' spare parts.

The Penguins have a little help on the horizon in Amherst native Brooks Orpik. The 18th pick of the 2000 draft is playing well in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

After the game, the Sabres recalled winger Ales Kotalik from Rochester.