Buffalo Sabres: Meet the top 6 defensemen aged 23 and under

Now that Ryan Johnson signed with the Buffalo Sabres, they now have six prominent defensemen aged 23 and under signed to the organization. 

The Buffalo Sabres defensive rotation will feature three blueliners aged 23 and under to kick off the 2023-24 season in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson. All three will man the top two pairings, and you can expect Dahlin to become an even bigger threat to win the Norris while Power makes a jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and Samuelsson continues to provide a physical presence.

Given the recent rash of signings, it will also be interesting to see Nikita Novikov and Ryan Johnson develop in Rochester, while Vsevolod Komarov plays one more season with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. What makes each player and prospect so intriguing? Let’s take a closer look.

Meet the top six blueliners in the Buffalo Sabres system

1 – Rasmus Dahlin

With 73 points, 15 goals, and 58 assists in 2022-23, Dahlin was one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL offensively, but his defensive game was also among the league’s best. Injury issues prevented Dahlin from maintaining his overall productivity, they didn’t stop him from breaking into the upper echelon of NHL defensemen. If he stays healthy, Dahlin will be a serious Norris Trophy contender next season.

2 – Mattias Samuelsson

Mattias Samuelsson is a big hitter who isn’t afraid to invade would-be scoring lanes. The Buffalo Sabres were among the league’s better teams when he was in the lineup, but injury issues caused Samuelsson to miss 27 games. Health will be a major factor moving forward, but opponents should be scared of the Sabres if Samuelsson doesn’t miss so much time next season.

3 – Owen Power

The Calder Trophy finalist only scored 35 points in 79 contests this past season, but you can expect Owen Power to improve offensively in 2023-24. Power may have been caught out of position at varying times, like any rookie defenseman, but the Sabres 90.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength and subsequent 91.5% save percentage at 5-on-5 with him on the ice shows that Power was a little more disruptive than you may otherwise believe.

4 – Ryan Johnson

Ryan Johnson will begin his professional hockey odyssey in the AHL, and it will be interesting to see if he inevitably pairs with Novikov. Strong skating and passing are two dynamic features regarding Johnson’s game, and they’ve only grown throughout the Buffalo Sabres newest defensemen’s four seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

5 – Nikita Novikov

If there is one player I can see ultimately pairing with Owen Power a couple of seasons from today, it’s Nikita Novikov. Like Power, Novikov boasts a lot of size, and he’s going to lay more than his fair share of hard hits onto opponents. And best yet, since he’s seen ample time in the KHL with 62 contests, it could make the learning curve less strenuous during what will be his first season in North America.

6 – Vsevolod Komarov

Another blueliner with decent size, Vsevolod Komarov’s offensive production jumps out at me. He had 39 points in 62 regular season contests with the mighty Quebec Remparts, and it’s logical to guess that Komarov will only see that productivity increase next season. This is a two-way blueliner who you can expect to see wearing a Buffalo Sabres uniform at some point down the road.

No Henri Jokiharju, you might say? Jokiharju is still 23, but he turns 24 next month, so I’ve omitted him from this list. Further, Jokiharju might also want to be looking over his shoulder, as the bottom three names mentioned can all eventually replace him if he doesn’t improve what was a spotty game last season.

Source: Ryan Johnson becomes latest Sabres prospect to sign entry-level contract by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects)