Mattias Samuelsson lauds Sabres teammate: 'Starting to look like a man now'

It's the most common refrain at the beginning of training camp across the sports spectrum: a player is in the "best shape of their life." In most cases, it translates to nothing. For Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn, it's put him on pace for a breakout season.

Quinn has recorded 16 points (nine goals and seven assists) across the Sabres' first 17 games. He's on a 44-goal pace, which would shatter his career high of 20 set last season.

Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who's played alongside the 25-year-old Canadian since their days with the AHL's Rochester Americans, told Jane McNally of Sabres.com he's happy the talented forward's effort is finally being rewarded.

"He's starting to look like a man now, not like a little boy anymore," Samuelsson said with a grin. "He's stronger. He's faster. You can see it playing out."

The veteran blueliner added: "For him to be able to score as many goals as he has now, a great case of the 'work pays off' for sure."

Quinn is playing with an extreme level of confidence. He's winning one-on-one battles and consistently attacking the most dangerous areas of the ice, which is allowing him to take advantage of a high-end release that's been evident since he was drafted No. 8 overall in 2020.

His exponentially increased impact has come at a perfect time for the Sabres, who are going through an offensive lull early in the campaign. They've dropped from fifth in goals scored per game (3.45) in 2025-26 to 21st (2.94) as the quarter mark nears this season.

It's a concern that'd probably be closer to a crisis if Quinn wasn't helping Tage Thompson (10 goals) keep the offense afloat.

Buffalo still needs other players to step up at that end of the rink — Josh Norris, Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod, Jiri Kulich, Jason Zucker and Konsta Helenius (once healthy) among them — if it's going to keep pace in the highly competitive Eastern Conference playoff race.

Meanwhile, Quinn is putting himself in position for a massive raise from his current $3.375 million salary as a restricted free agent next summer.

The Sabres are slated to have some financial flexibility in the offseason ($24.3 million in cap space, per PuckPedia), but there are also pressing needs, led by a true No. 1 center.

So, it'll be interesting to see whether general manager Jarmo Kekalainen pushes for a lucrative long-term extension with Quinn or opts for a shorter bridge deal to keep his options open.

Mattias Samuelsson is backing up his own breakthrough for Buffalo

A few years ago, Quinn and Samuelsson were among the most polarizing Sabres players. Their production was frustratingly inconsistent and they'd dealt with a string of injury concerns.

Now they've emerged as potentially untouchable cornerstones.

Samuelsson in particular has trended strongly in that direction since the start of last season. He scored just 43 points in 212 appearances over his first five seasons. Since the 2025-26 campaign began, he's recorded 51 points across 95 outings. An incredible uptick.

Add in the fact he's remained Buffalo's most dependable player in the defensive zone and his improvement from a durability standpoint, and the 26-year-old Philadelphia native has quietly become one of the NHL's most well-rounded defensemen.

It's allowed the Sabres to build one of the league's best top-four defense groups: Samuelsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Olen Zellweger. It's possible some more high-end help is on the way in the near future in the form of prized prospect Daxon Rudolph, too.

So, the Blue and Gold should be set on the blue line for the foreseeable future.

Buffalo also has Samuelsson under contract through the 2029-30 season at a team-friendly $4.3 million salary, which is one of the reasons the front office is in a promising financial position. Signing young players to extensions before the cap started to explode is paying off.

He's another player who'll be due a substantial raise when it's time for his next contract, but that's a conversation the club won't have to worry about for a while.

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