Mattias Samuelsson’s Injury Issues Creating Problems for Sabres – The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres Latest News, Analysis & More

Defense continues to cause problems for the Buffalo Sabres. The team’s blue line corps has struggled for years due to incoherence and overcrowding, the latter issue being compounded when Bowen Byram was acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline. The Sabres had the opportunity to clear out the logjam over the summer but instead chose to add to it by re-signing Jacob Bryson and bringing in Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert. But ironically, they may be needing that depth now that they’re faced with another dilemma.

After missing the second half of last season due to injury, Mattias Samuelsson will once again be absent for a significant time after sustaining a severe lower-body injury on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Lindy Ruff stated he will be out indefinitely and that there’s no timetable for his return. He had posted one goal and a minus-two rating through 13 games thus far.

This puts the Sabres in a tough spot for a few reasons. Samuelsson is thought of as the team’s defensive anchor and replacing him won’t be easy, but his team also may end up being forced to make a choice.

Injuries Have Overshadowed Samuelsson’s Achievements

The Sabres selected Samuelsson with the first pick of the second round of the 2018 Draft, 32nd overall. He rose through the organization remarkably quickly and found himself in the NHL full-time just three years later, far faster than most defensive prospects. Since then he’s emerged as a reliable, stay-at-home equalizer opposite his offensively-oriented counterparts. He and Rasmus Dahlin, taken 31 spots before him, have become a particularly good tandem and balance each other out magnificently.

However, throughout that span an issue has emerged as well. As capable as Samuelsson has proven himself, injuries have become a major problem and he hasn’t been able to play a full season yet to this point. After missing half of last season and 27 games the season before that, his frailty has become a problem that the Sabres can no longer ignore.

Though he’d only been around for a short time to that point, Buffalo signed Samuelsson to a seven-year, $30 million contract before the 2022-23 campaign, a move that felt dubious due to the small sample size. Many feared that it might come back to haunt the Sabres and it’s unfortunately beginning to. The Swedish-American looked great that season with 10 points and a plus-14 rating in 55 games, but wasn’t able to build on it and struggled uncharacteristically in 2023-24, failing to resemble the same smooth, calm presence that fans had become accustomed to.

After missing the second half of the season, the hope was that he’d be able to start anew this fall and Ruff even named him an alternate captain, but it will have to be put on hold. We don’t know when Samuelsson will be back but it’s safe to presume that we won’t see him again in 2024. While his absence will be beneficial in that it gives the Sabres’ other blueliners a chance to step up, the team could be facing a decision on him.

Should the Sabres Move On?

The predicament the Sabres currently find themselves in is compounded by what they’re facing next summer. More than a few players are currently in the last year of their contracts, among them Devon Levi, Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway and it’s fair to assume they’d like to keep all of them. However, their salary cap situation will force them to make choices and someone will inevitably be left out. Unless, that is, they can clear space.

As big of an upside as Samuelsson has, it should come as no surprise that fans are starting to call for him to be traded. I personally think it’s too soon to be considering anything like that, but there’s also no denying the Sabres could alleviate a good amount of their financial burden if they were to get his contract off the books. With a cap hit of $4.28 million, the 24-year-old commands a significant portion of the payroll but hasn’t provided much of a return to this point.

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Trading him so soon might be a rash thought, but thanks to the aforementioned depth on defense, Buffalo could survive. Particularly, Henri Jokiharju experienced a breakout last season and filled Samuelsson’s spot nicely. The Sabres could opt to have him take over permanently in that role while Byram and Owen Power continue to develop. They also have 2019 first round pick Ryan Johnson in the American Hockey League (AHL) and could stand give him a chance as well.

I like Samuelsson and don’t think the Sabres should necessarily jump at the chance to move him just yet. However, if he can’t overcome his many ailments and start keeping himself consistently in once piece, he’s not much good to anyone and their hand may wind up being forced. Should the franchise continue to be patient with him and see if it pays off, or have you seen enough?