Mattias Samuelsson – 23 Years old – 55 GP | 2 goals | 8 assists | 10 points
Points aren’t everything. Especially for a defensive defenseman like Mattias Samuelsson. He did a lot of hitting and blocking this season, with107 hits and 91 blocks to be exact. However, there’s a lot more to Captaincy than hitting and blocking.
Sure, Samuelsson looks like he’s in his 30s. The lefty defenseman is maybe a bit young to be wearing the C at only 23. Yet he’s already making a case to be considered for Captaincy.
We’ve seen how much of a difference maker he is. This season, the Sabres went 33-18-4 with Samuelsson playing but when he was injured they were 9-15-3.
He has also taken a pay cut much like Thompson and Cozens. He’s locked in for the next seven years on a very team friendly deal. It will be fun to see how he continues to develop.