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Buffalo Sabres: Mattias Samuelsson deserves a higher ranking

By Sion Fawkes

Apr 17, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) and Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) battle for position during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) and Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) battle for position during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buffalo Sabres took the #1 rank in The Athletic’s Corey Pronman’s pipeline ranking. But Mattias Samuelsson ranked 12th in that pipeline. 

While it was great to see Corey Pronman of The Athletic give the Buffalo Sabres pipeline the top slot, it was also confusing as to why he ranked Mattias Samuelsson 12th in the system. While I wholeheartedly agreed that Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and Owen Power were rightfully ranked, the rest of Pronman’s rankings were rather questionable.

But nothing made me shake my head more than Mattias Samuelsson’s ranking, where he placed 12th. Here is how the top 12 played out:

  1. Rasmus Dahlin
  2. Dylan Cozens
  3. Owen Power
  4. Jack Quinn
  5. Peyton Krebs
  6. Matthew Savoie
  7. J.J. Peterka
  8. Jiri Kulich
  9. Devon Levi
  10. Noah Ostlund
  11. Ryan Johnson
  12. Mattias Samuelsson

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson deserved a much higher ranking than The Athletic has given him

Samuelsson played 54 games in the NHL, 50 more combined than all but one of the pipeline players ranked ahead of him (Krebs). While Samuelsson has limited offensive potential, he is the type of defenseman who showed last season that he is a perfect complement to the two-way Rasmus Dahlin and/or Owen Power.

Pronman projected Samuelsson to play in the NHL, and it was something he managed to do over the past two seasons. He showed flashes in 2020-21, and signs of breaking out last year. Especially when he earned a spot on the top pairing with Dahlin.

Pronman also questioned whether Samuelsson can play for an extended time on the ice. This came after the kid averaged 20 minutes per game in his 42 appearances in 2021-22. So we can confirm Samuelsson isn’t just capable of spending time on the first pairing, but that he is further capable of doing so for an extended time.

Related Story. Major sports network ranks Sabres prospect pool #1. light

Even stranger is that they ranked Samuelsson below Ryan Johnson, who at this point is not under contract with the Sabres. This isn’t to castigate the article, since it was an excellent read overall. I’m just trying to understand Samuelsson’s low ranking when it was clear he exceeded expectations last season.

Article Source: Buffalo Sabres rank No. 1 in NHL Pipeline Rankings for 2022 by Corey Pronman

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