Last summer, there was legitimate frustration within the Buffalo Sabres fanbase that the front office didn't consider buying out Mattias Samuelsson from the remainder of his seven-year contract.
It's a good thing they didn't because his $4.3 million salary now looks like one of the NHL's biggest bargains, and the 26-year-old defenseman remains under contract through 2029-30.
Samuelsson has recorded 41 points (13 goals and 28 assists) in 75 appearances, absolutely obliterating his previous career high of 14 points, and his plus-36 rating is tied for the 10th-best mark in the league.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic rightfully described it as a "shocking turnaround."
"Samuelsson has completely turned his game around and reached a level we've never seen before," Dayal wrote. "Playing next to Dahlin, Samuelsson is tied for 12th among all defensemen in five-on-five points in addition to making an excellent defensive impact. He's the unsung hero behind Buffalo's rise this season."
Now the question is whether the 6-foot-4 defender can maintain his elite level of performance as the Sabres skate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Mattias Samuelsson may hold the key to a Buffalo Sabres deep postseason run
The Sabres' third defensive pair has been a problem for a vast majority of the campaign. Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins both missed time with injuries and, even though they're available now, they've seemingly fallen out of favor with head coach Lindy Ruff.
Buffalo acquired Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline last month in search of a physical presence. Stanley has received ample playing time and, while he's been decent defensively, his lack of foot speed has been a clear problem at times.
Then there's Zach Metsa, who went on a PDO run almost unprecedented in the league's analytics era, but he's cooled off since coming back from a brief stint with the AHL's Rochester Americans.
The lack of dependable options on the bottom pair means Ruff is likely going to play the top-four group of Samuelsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Bowen Byram monster minutes in the playoffs.
For Samuelsson, who's thrived on the No. 1 pair alongside Norris Trophy candidate Dahlin, a sizable portion of his breakout can be contributed to staying healthy.
The Western Michigan University product had never played more than 62 games in a season and averaged 50 appearances over the previous four years.
How will his body hold up to the rugged, battle-for-every-inch nature of the playoffs? Can he handle the rigors for another 20-plus games, which would be required if the Sabres want to make a serious push toward a Stanley Cup title?
Buffalo sure hopes so because it simply doesn't have a viable replacement option if any member of the defensive top four gets hurt at any point during the postseason.
Dahlin is the cornerstone but Samuelsson is right there with him in terms of importance, especially given the strong two-way results that were completely unexpected.
The Sabres' playoff upside is far higher if he can maintain that level for another few months.