Mattias Samuelsson has been a disappointing contract for the Sabres since he signed his extension back at the beginning of the 2022 season. Samuelsson signed a seven-year, 30-million-dollar contract, with a cap hit of 4.28 million annually. Although Samuelsson hasn’t played badly on his new contract, injuries have decimated his playing time. He was held to 55 games in 2022, and 41 in 2023, and has currently played 35 of the Sabres' 54 games this season. Samuelsson was recently clearded to play but it is unknown how much time he will get during games when he plays the rest of the season. Samuelsson has already missed a season’s worth of games in just three years due to injury. This is why I think these three trade destinations would be perfect for Samuelsson as it's time for the Sabres to move on.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are a team that can heavily benefit from having Samuelsson on their roster, as they go through their current rebuild. With guys like Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, having a veteran like Samuelsson will provide the knowledge that these rookies and younger guys need. For the Sabres's sake, I think getting rid of Samuelsson would just be a huge salary dump. They have too many talented defensemen that they have to pay come the end of the year. I think a 2nd and 5th-round pick for Samuelsson would be fair. You could also throw in a prospect like Thomas Bordeleau, who is in his 4th season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. He has put up decent stats and averaged around 30+ points a season. Bordeleau would be solid in Rochester and could become a call-up for the Sabres.
Edmonton Oilers
I think the Oilers could use another defenseman like Samuelsson on their roster. Their goaltending is average for the most part, but Stuart Skinner could be elite with better defensive help. As long as they stay under the cap, which could mean Buffalo retaining some of Samuelsson’s contract, these two sides could work out a deal. The Sabres should aim for at least a 3rd round pick here and maybe a guy like Kasperi Kapanen who they could use on their fourth line. Kapanen was solid for the Maple Leafs for quite a few years, but after leaving, he bounced his way around with a few teams before landing in Edmonton. Kapanen sits on a one-year, one-million-dollar contract, which will help the Oilers get rid of some cap space as well. Kapanen would be a great veteran addition on the fourth or 3rd line and could be of great help to guys like Peyton Krebs, or Jack Quinn.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets are the last team on our list as Samuelsson would be a great fit for their playoff push. For a team that was projected to finish last in the NHL, the Blue Jackets have shocked a lot of people this year. As they push for a wild card spot, another veteran defenseman would be a good fit, as they already have the likes of Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov. The Blue Jackets also have the cap space necessary to take on a cap hit like this. The Sabres should once again aim for a few draft picks, and a prospect as well. Trey Fix-Wolansky is a name that comes to mind as the two-time AHL All-Star would be a solid fit as a reserve, or a 4th liner on the Sabres. Wolansky is also a small cap hit for the Sabres as they would still shed about 3.5 million in the deal.
The whole key in these Samuelsson trades is shedding cap space, and getting rid of an injured defenseman. The Sabres have to pay guys like Bowen Byram, Jacob Bryson, Dennis Gilbert, and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres are gonna need all the money possible to afford these guys and come back with a better defense next year, in this case, Samuelsson is the odd man out.