For most of the season, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has teamed with Henri Jokiharju on the first-pairing.
Henri Jokiharju has proven to be, at best, a middle-of-the-road defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres. You know what you’re getting with him: A defenseman who can lay a hit or set up the occasional scoring opportunity. But really, after (mostly) four seasons in the league, Jokiharju hasn’t improved his game.
So with Jokiharju maxing out on his potential and really playing like a scaled-down version of Rasmus Dahlin, is there someone better equipped to take over on the first line? There is, and his name is Mattias Samuelsson.
Unlike Dahlin, Samuelsson is not a two-way player in any capacity. However, the physically-imposing defenseman is a big hitter, logging 50 hits in 23 games. He has further shown his physicality with 35 blocks. And unlike his regular linemate, Casey Fitzgerald, Samuelsson has spent just eight minutes inside the penalty box this season.
Mattias Samuelsson needs to be part of the Buffalo Sabres first-pairing
Samuelsson has just 35 games of NHL experience, and he’s already proven himself more valuable than Jokiharju. The Sabres have also trusted him in taking on some of the league’s top players like Connor McDavid (Edmonton) and Auston Matthews (Toronto).
Yeah, he will see some growing pains when the Sabres call his number to counter some of the NHL’s top scorers. But expect those growing pains to hit the wayside quickly. Besides Samuelsson’s physicality, his knack for disrupting plays has gained the attention of Sabres general manager, Kevyn Adams.
"“He’s disruptive,” Adams said, “he’s got a tremendous stick, he’s got a calmness about him out there.” – via Buffalo Hockey Beat."
Despite posting solid defensive numbers for a rookie, disruptions don’t always show on the stat sheet unless one commits a takeaway, making Samuelsson an even more valuable asset to the Sabres. And how good has Samuelsson been lately? In the last two games, he has logged an astounding 11 hits and five blocks.
It’s also worth noting Samuelsson has logged over 20 minutes of ice time over the past three games. During that stretch, he also logged 23:47 of ice time against Vegas.
Count on Samuelsson to continue improving his game as the season winds down. And if he continues to perform as he did against Edmonton and Toronto, look for him to eventually overtake Jokiharju in the lineup as the perfect complement to Dahlin.
While Dahlin displays a two-way capability, Samuelsson will serve as the sledgehammer. And that makes these two young hockey players a dynamic duo.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)