Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson has struggled to live up to expectations since signing a seven-year contract extension in 2022, which has raised questions about whether he needs a change of scenery. Could the Detroit Red Wings be a potential landing spot?
Heavy's Jake Rivard named Samuelsson as a player who would "help alleviate the burden Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson often have to bear on their own" on the Detroit blue line, and noted a trade may be the type of "affordable deal" the Wings could seek to upgrade their defense.
Rivard projected two picks in the 2026 NHL draft, a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder, could be enough to entice Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams to make a swap ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Why Samuelsson may be available
Samuelsson lost the faith of the coaching staff and the fanbase last season when he failed to respond to a high hit on star teammate Tage Thompson by the New Jersey Devils' Stefan Noesen. It was like pouring salt on a reopened wound for a franchise that remembers when the Boston Bruins' Milan Lucic ran over team legend Ryan Miller with no response in 2011.
"Not my proudest moment or anything like that," Samuelsson told reporters in April. "Obviously, would change a lot about how everything was handled."
Yes, there were other players on the ice who could have also responded, but when you're an alternate captain who's asked to play a physical role, stepping up in those moments is your most important job. He failed to rise to the occasion and the criticism that followed was warranted.
It didn't sound like getting him off the roster was a high priority this offseason, though. Adams pushed aside speculation the team could consider buying out the five years remaining on his contract.
That said, he's been the focal point of trade rumors throughout the summer and remains No. 12 on The Fourth Period's 2025 summer trade watch list.
Buffalo's lack of depth creates issues
Here's the problem from the Sabres' perspective: If they trade Samuelsson for futures, whether it be picks or prospects, there's no clear solution for their own blue line. It'd probably mean Jacob Bryson or Zac Jones is in the lineup on a nightly basis, and that's a recipe for major problems.
As it stands, it feels like Buffalo's defense pairings are set:
Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Michael Kesselring
Samuelsson – Conor Timmins
If you take Samuelsson out without replacing him, it creates the same uncertainty Adams has fostered by dealing JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth without adding a top-six forward. And the Sabres need less question marks right now, not more.
Is Samuelsson to Detroit realistic?
Although it wouldn't be shocking to see the 25-year-old New Jersey native traded this season, especially if the Sabres fall out of the playoff picture for the 15th straight year, sending him to an Atlantic Division rival for a couple mid-round draft picks doesn't seem wise.
Buffalo already has an optics problem related to its decision to not use all of its salary-cap space. Moving a longtime member of the defense for futures without having an obvious replacement on the roster would create more concern about the team's lack of spending.
At some point, the Sabres need to start adding consistently rather than subtracting. Too many players have left the organization and enjoyed high-end success elsewhere, including Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, among others.
Samuelsson isn't the same caliber as those NHL stars, but he has the tools to become an effective third-pairing defenseman who helps on the penalty kill for a contender. That's the same role he's ticketed for in Buffalo this season after being asked to play up the lineup in past years.
In other words, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman will probably have to look elsewhere in order to upgrade his defense corps.