One of the topics this summer was whether or not the Buffalo Sabres would buy out Mattias Samuelsson, who is entering the third year of a seven-year contract. The move would have saved them over $3 million in cap space each of the next five seasons.
However, the thought of a buyout was quickly dismissed by general manager Kevyn Adams, but it is a move they probably are wishing they had made now, with how training camp and the preseason have gone. The Sabres have had some players step up who made a deep position even deeper, with Zac Jones and Ryan Johnson having a productive preseason, while Samuelsson once again is dealing with an injury.
It's really no surprise that Mattias Samuelsson is dealing with an injury, as he has struggled to stay healthy and has only played more than 60 games in his career once. Meanwhile, the Sabres now have a roster crunch at the position with players like Jones, Johnson, and Jacob Bryson competing for probably only one spot.
What are the Buffalo Sabres options now with Mattias Samuelsson?
Unfortunately for the Sabres, they do not have the option to buy him out at this point, as the CBA only allows a two-week window in June for buyouts.
With the number of years remaining on his contract, waiving him doesn't make any sense. It would seemingly be impossible to trade him as well due to his contract and injury history, even if Buffalo retains some of his salary.
At this point, the Sabres appear stuck with him for at least another season and that means having to send one of the players mentioned above down to the AHL. Hopefully, Samuelsson can get past this latest injury and give Buffalo a full season but that seems like wishful thinking. The good news is that they have depth to handle the injuries but at the end of the day, it is a move they should have made in June.