Buffalo Sabres: Will Mattias Samuelsson grow in 2022-23?
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson has just 54 games of NHL experience. Will he continue to grow for the upcoming season?
Despite his relative inexperience, Mattias Samuelsson has already been a hit with the Buffalo Sabres and no, there is no pun intended there. You won’t find Samuelsson scoring many points, but you will find him making things tough for opposing forwards.
Overall, Samuelsson’s physical play and nose for spotting the puck makes the Sabres better as a whole on the blue line. He also complemented well late in the season with the two-way Rasmus Dahlin, leading many in the fan base to believe he will secure a spot on the first pairing in 2022-23.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson has proven to be a big hitter and stay-at-home defenseman
Despite just 54 games of NHL experience Samuelsson has 120 career hits and 70 blocks. Even more impressive? His production in the two categories skyrocketed during a 42-game stretch in 2021-22, when he logged 100 hits and 60 blocks.
Pundits who cover the Buffalo Sabres are all projecting the same thing that I am: That Samuelsson will grow into a defensive cornerstone as early as 2022-23. But as with all players, the defenseman also has a few flaws that may prevent him from growing at a linear pace for the upcoming season.
However, he was the team’s top defensive prospect in 2021-22, with only Casey Fitzgerald providing any real competition. And not only was he the organization’s top prospect on defense; you can also argue that he was the top prospect that saw extended playing time in Buffalo last season. At least until Owen Power arrived and gave him competition.
Anyway, enough chatter. Keep reading to find out why Mattias Samuelsson will grow in 2022-23.
Why Mattias Samuelsson will grow into a permanent fixture on the Buffalo Sabres
Any time you have a big-bodied defenseman like Samuelsson, it can only help, and not hinder, your team. One reason is that he can force opponents toward the outside at will and disrupt plays if they decide to take him on. You saw this occur plenty of times last year.
When the play isn’t heading in his direction, Samuelsson’s 60 blocks tell me he a) Is not afraid to sacrifice the body, and b) He often places himself in the ideal position to keep the puck from reaching the goaltender.
He was doing this all with very little experience at the NHL level. In 2022-23 the game will only slow down for him, which is why I’m projecting 100-plus blocks and 240-plus hits this season. You will also see him create turnovers by forcing opponents to get rid of the puck before they are ready.
Overall, Samuelsson is going to display more physicality, and you will rarely see opponents catching him out of position. But there is one major concern that may hinder his growth. Let’s explore.
What can hinder Mattias Samuelsson’s development in 2022-23?
Let me be clear: I do not think Mattias Samuelsson’s growth will stagnate in 2022-23. But, it is worth talking about the fact that he had injuries that never seemed to go away and as a result, he missed extended playing time, including the Calder Cup Playoffs when the Buffalo Sabres reassigned him to Rochester.
This is the lingering issue that has me concerned about Samuelsson. Clearly, if he cannot figure out how to stay healthy for the duration of the season, his growth, at best, will be stagnant.
The good news is that this is the only real issue that will keep Samuelsson from growing as a player next season. And if he has a healthy training camp, expect him to open up the year pairing alongside Rasmus Dahlin.
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Overall, I expect Samuelsson to make a leap similar to what you saw Dahlin make last year. But, it won’t be as a two-way player. Samuelsson will likely, if he stays healthy, end the season as the Sabres best stay-at-home defenseman.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)