Mattias Samuelsson is the Buffalo Sabres MVP for 2022-23

With 12 games left in the season, it may be premature to name a Team MVP. Unless you happen to be the 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres. 

Oftentimes, the Most Valuable Player award would go to a player at the end of the season, and the Buffalo Sabres have only played 70 games. This award also often goes to the player who statistically played an outstanding season, like Tage Thompson, who so far, has 88 points and he can still threaten to hit 100.

But when you look at the Sabres, and you look at how badly they have played without defenseman Mattias Samuelsson in the lineup vs. how good they have looked with him in the lineup, there is no question that the second-year defenseman who has just 102 games of NHL experience, is by far, this teams most valuable asset. Because the Blue and Gold are a completely different team without the big man in the lineup.

Why Mattias Samuelsson is the Buffalo Sabres MVP

The Sabres have played 70 games, and Samuelsson has missed 22 of them thanks to an array of injuries. In the 48 games he’s played in, Buffalo is 28-16-4 (60 points). When Samuelsson isn’t in the lineup, the Sabres are an abysmal 5-15-2 (12 points).

This is, in a way, comparable to how the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers had, for literally until this season, looked like with and without LeBron James. Without James, Cleveland was one of the NBA’s worst teams, some of which could qualify for some of the worst in NBA history. And vice versa, when James was on the roster.

But ironically enough, Mattias Samuelsson is not the LeBron James of the NHL. Samuelsson isn’t a two-way player. He doesn’t often score, having just 20 career points (one goal) in his 102 career games.

However, Samuelsson is a big hitter, and has routinely been the team’s most physical asset when he’s on the ice. He’s not afraid to get into shooting lanes, forcing opponents to pass the puck elsewhere, and Samuelsson also has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, blocking would-be shot on net after would-be shot on net, having accumulated 80 of them in those 48 contests.

The Sabres have among the worst goaltending statistics in the NHL thanks to poor overall defense. But at 5-on-5, their on-ice save percentage is 90.6% with Samuelsson on the ice. Further, that number augments to 90.9% when he’s in the game at even strength.

Overall, Mattias Samuelsson is the Team MVP. He plays better defense than arguably any other player on the Buffalo Sabres, and he’s been a tremendous asset on a team that has struggled defensively all season. The Blue and Gold’s record with Samuelsson in the lineup, as opposed to their record without him, is also night and day.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

Source: Mike Harrington: The goalie matters, but Sabres’ woeful defense is letting all of them down by Mike Harrington, BuffaloNews.com.