Buffalo Sabres: Multiple sources noticing Mats Lindgren

In 2022, the Buffalo Sabres drafted Mats Lindgren in the fourth round, after he put up a stellar season for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.

When I looked at the prospects at defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres, my eyes kept reverting back to Mats LIndgren’s name. One major reason is that, with Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov, and Vsevolod Komarov serving as the top three prospects at the blueline, it left me to wonder where Lindgren fits and what his chances are of ever seeing NHL ice in a blue and gold uniform.

One major aspect to Lindgren’s game is, despite being listed as a defenseman, he was basically a forward playing on the blueline, having scored 44 times with five goals and 39 assists in his final season for the Kamloops Blazers. This past season, Lindgren played for the Red Deer Rebels and he scored 11 goals, yet his points total dropped to just 34 in 61 contests, indicating the 18-year-old put more stock into his defensive game and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by major outlets.

“The biggest thing I was concentrating on this year was getting better in the defensive zone. Obviously, my numbers weren’t as high as last year, but I think I was really focused on just getting better in the areas that I need to improve on. I think the offensive side is always there.” – Mats Lindgren, via Buffalo Hockey Beat

Buffalo Sabres prospect Mats Lindgren’s improved play has not gone unnoticed

This year, Lindgren arrived at development camp at 184 lbs, 12 lbs bigger than his playing weight with Red Deer in 2022-23. This will lead to us seeing a much stronger version of Lindgren in 2023-24, building on what he worked on throughout the previous season that included getting more aggressive with opponents and disrupting plays.

With a pair of major outlets in Buffalo News and Buffalo Hockey Beat giving us an in-depth look at Lindgren, it shows that he’s more than worth keeping tabs on this season. When Buffalo drafted him, I was intrigued with his scoring, but naturally worried about his defense, knowing his chances of making it to the NHL were slim if he didn’t improve the latter aspect of his game.

This season, Lindgren should be one of the top junior prospects on your list to follow, along with Zach Benson, and perhaps even Matt Savoie, depending on what the Buffalo Sabres do with him. And when Lindgren’s improved physical stature leads to even more physical play at the blueline in 2023-24, expect him to sign at some point this season.

Further, if Lindgren doesn’t lose a step offensively and instead becomes a sound two-way player, it shouldn’t surprise any of us if he ends up in Rochester next season. But as for 2023-24, he’s more than worth keeping tabs on and watching his overall development unfold.

Source: Slick Mats Lindgren quietly emerging as strong Sabres defensive prospect by Bill Hoppe, BuffaloHockeyBeat.com

Source: Sabres prospect Mats Lindgren focusing on strength, defense by Cole Bambini, BuffaloNews.com

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)