Grading the Buffalo Sabres defensemen for 2023-24
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres blue line was a weak spot last season behind Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power. Will things change this year?
The Buffalo Sabres nearly made the playoffs with a poor defensive rotation (and bad defense from most of their forwards) in 2022-23, so an improved blue line will catapult them to a place they haven’t been in over 12 years, right? Logistically, it makes sense, and fortunately for the Sabres, they have three amazing blueliners who are either just entering or have yet to venture into their respective primes.
Mattias Samuelsson is, in my opinion, the Blue and Gold’s most valuable player in the rotation. Sure, Dahlin and Power have a two-way game that Samuelsson lacks, and they are better at creating chances offensively. But until their presence wins games for the Sabres like Samuelsson’s, there should be no question of who holds greater value. No one on the team plays better defense, and Samuelsson is also better in transition than he’s given credit for.
Buffalo Sabres have a trio of outstanding defensemen
But as the rugged, throwback type of player that Samuelsson is, Dahlin often gets the nod in terms of overall value, and Power will likely get there as well. Dahlin put up forward numbers with 73 points and 15 goals last season, but he also played defense well, with his efforts landing him an eighth-place spot in the Norris Trophy voting.
Power had a tough time last season thanks to the lack of productivity of the other blueliners he was lining up alongside. Often left on an island, Power made the best out of a bad situation and played respectable defense while also contributing 35 points. He managed to finish third in the voting for the Calder, and perhaps he wins it outright if he had a little more help alongside him.
This trio will comprise the first and part of the second pairing for the Buffalo Sabres. But if you asked me, right now, who I would project to land where, it would be Dahlin pairing with Erik Johnson (and/or Connor Clifton) while Samuelsson pairs with Power on the second.