2022-23 Buffalo Sabres superlatives (Who won Team MVP?)

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The Buffalo Sabres finished 2022-23 with 91 points, and they had plenty of effective players along the way. Here are the award winners for the season.

In years’ past, it was a chore to come up with enough positives regarding Buffalo Sabres superlatives, since even the best players put up the blandest performances. That wasn’t the case in 2022-23, and writing this article actually had an adrenaline-pumping edge.

Further, any number of players could have won most of the awards listed below. So I’m sure there will be a lot of debate to follow for some, and I’m sure you will agree 1,000% regarding a few of them, especially those final two.

Anyway, who won what in 2022-23? Here are eight awards that I’ll hand out to the following players. Let’s get started.

Mar 11, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) tries to block shot by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) during the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

2022-23 Buffalo Sabres Superlatives

Team MVP/Defenseman of the Year: Mattias Samuelsson

I’m going to let everyone else put either Rasmus Dahlin or Tage Thompson in this slot. But neither helped the Buffalo Sabres win like Mattias Samuelsson.

While injury-prone, the Blue and Gold finished 33-18-4 when Samuelsson played. And since a team MVP is the player who helps their team win more than any other as opposed to who puts up the best fantasy hockey numbers, he is more than worthy of the honor, something I said back in March.

Forward of the Year: Tage Thompson

This one was a close call between Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Some may rightfully put Tuch here, since he seemed to be the more consistent of the two. But at the end of the day, Tage likely would have been a top-five scorer in the NHL had injuries not hampered him during that final stretch, and his 94 points were still among the league’s best.

Goaltender of the Year: Craig Anderson

The goaltending situation was awful in 2022-23, and yes, some will contemplate putting Devon Levi here. But Levi came so late in the season, that his sample size for any award this season was far too small, so Anderson gets the nod while Levi can win this award for the next decade-and-a-half.

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