Buffalo Sabres: 3 players poised for a breakout season in 2022-23
By Sion Fawkes
It is never too early to speculate who will enjoy a breakout campaign next year. Here are three Buffalo Sabres to keep an eye on.
The Buffalo Sabres are enjoying a youth movement and next season, they will only get younger. Last year, the Sabres saw several players find a permanent spot at the NHL level given the number of injuries they dealt with.
Players like Peyton Krebs, Casey Fitzgerald, and Mattias Samuelsson all found homes on the Sabres permanent roster. And while they did not enjoy breakout campaigns in the same way as Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, the trio proved their worth to contribute to an NHL roster.
So who is on the verge of potential NHL stardom next year? Here are three names to get excited about watching when October 2022 rolls around, starting with Samuelsson.
Buffalo Sabres poised for breakout – Player #1: Mattias Samuelsson
Samuelsson only has 54 games of NHL experience and he spent half of his career with the Rochester Americans. However, that changed in early 2022 when a rash of injuries and COVID-19 ravaged the Sabres lineup.
He stepped in and ever looked back, logging 100 hits in 42 contests. Samuelsson was never afraid to put his body on the line, which also led to 60 blocks. While he only scored 10 points, his null offensive game didn’t negatively affect the Sabres. In fact, it was not a bad thing at all.
Samuelsson played so well in his stay-at-home role that he saw time on the first pairing with Rasmus Dahlin for the final eight games of the season. His ability to complement Dahlin’s two-way approach further makes him a front-runner to man the position when October rolls around.
He and Dahlin were also able to rotate sides frequently, depending on the situation. This further makes the two an ideal pairing. Look for Samuelsson to up his game as he projects to spend his first full season as a member of the Buffalo Sabres main roster.