In February, Buffalo Sabres alternate captain Mattias Samuelsson stood idly by after New Jersey Devils forward Stefan Noesen delivered an elbow to the face of Tage Thompson. Now, as the 2025-26 NHL season approaches, is it time to reconsider the defenseman's leadership status?
Buffalo gave Samuelsson an 'A' ahead of last season as fellow blueliner Rasmus Dahlin took over the captaincy role. It made sense at the time. He was entering his fifth campaign with the Sabres and the organization hoped to see growth as an on-ice physical leader.
That didn't happen, however, and as the franchise attempts to break an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, it might be time for head coach Lindy Ruff to make a clear statement about the importance of protecting your teammates when training camp gets underway.
Case for removing Samuelsson's letter
Samuelsson admitted his response to the hit on Thompson, one of the Sabres' most important players, was a failure in his season-ending press conference.
"Not my proudest moment or anything like that," the 6-foot-4 defenseman told reporters in April. "Obviously, (I) would change a lot about how everything was handled."
Here's the problem: Even aside from that single incident, Samuelsson hasn't stepped up as the physical presence Buffalo was counting on when it signed him to a seven-year, $30 million contract in 2022.
Instead, the 25-year-old New Jersey native often shies away from contact and never steps up when the team needs a spark. Sabres players took part in 23 fights last season. He wasn't involved in a single one of them.
How is Samuelsson, a 227-pound, defense-only contributor, not on that list but players like Thompson, Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker are? That's unacceptable.
Yet, even without filling his role as a physical enforcer, he's struggled to stay healthy. He hasn't played more than 62 games in a season throughout his career. Availability is another key part of being a leader and he simply can't stay on the ice consistently.
All told, Samuelsson has been a significant disappointment in recent years and, if he's not even going to stand up for his teammates, he probably shouldn't be on the roster, let alone an assistant captain.
Case against removing Samuelsson's letter
It's hard to come up with a tangible reason to keep Samuelsson in an 'A,' but there are a few intangible reasons that make sense.
First, the defender is under contract through the 2029-30 season and general manager Kevyn Adams has pushed aside suggestions he could be a buyout candidate.
"I feel bad for our fans," Adams said in June. "There's so much misinformation. It's nonsense. Someone that has no idea what they're talking about reporting that we're gonna buy [Samuelsson] out. We've never had that conversation once."
That's a strong stance that suggests Buffalo's front office still views the 2018 second-round pick as a key building block for the future despite his underwhelming results. Removing his letter after making those comments would send a major mixed signals.
Second, the Sabres likely want to do everything in their power to keep Samuelsson's trade value as high as possible. Despite Adams' remarks, the left-shot defenseman has been the focus on speculation throughout the summer.
Stripping a player of their leadership position is something that would be noticed around the NHL, and it'd make him a tough sell to any team, but particularly a Stanley Cup contender, if Buffalo did decide to try to move on from him eventually.
Are those good reasons to keep somebody as an alternate captain? No, but they are still real-world considerations that come into play.
Final thoughts on defenseman's leadership role
Samuelsson shouldn't wear a letter in 2025-26. At minimum, it should be taken away to open the season with the understanding he'll have to earn it back through performance and better filling the role he's been asked to play in recent years.
If you're a defenseman who's weak offensively and struggles in transition, you can't also play a soft defensive game with zero impact as an enforcer. Yes, the Western Michigan University product has a good defensive stick and plays well positionally, but that's not enough.
Most importantly, if he's on the ice and a teammate receives a questionable hit, he should be the first player on the scene in response. Anything less is negligence. He's not a young player anymore. There are no excuses.
If he's unwilling or unable to handle those responsibilities, it'll be time for the Sabres to start searching for a Samuelsson exit strategy.