The third left defenseman spot on the Buffalo Sabres for the 2021-2022 season figures to be a three-way competition between Mattias Samuelsson, Robert Hägg and Jacob Bryson with no clear favorite at the current juncture. Sure, one could assume that Hägg is the favorite because the Sabres traded for him, but really, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the Sabres were given Hägg as a salary cap offset in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. Some might argue that Bryson is above Samuelsson on the depth chart with 38 career NHL games played versus Samuelsson’s 12, although it’s debatable whether that’s a meaningful difference in experience. There are a few variables at play which may result in Samuelsson scoring the (mild) upset victory here and landing the last left defenseman spot despite having only played 35 games between the AHL and NHL.
First and foremost is the presence of Sabres head coach Don Granato. The new bench boss is known primarily as a developmental coach who was hired to bring along the Sabres youth successfully and responsibly through what will likely be a tricky couple of years. Granato, as some fans will know, was previously the head coach of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) from 2013-16 before moving onto the college ranks. Samuelsson also participated in the USNTDP from 2016-18 which might ultimately be indicative of nothing as it’s entirely possible that their paths never crossed due to Granato leaving the year before Samuelsson entered. Still, the joint history in the same program might forge a connection between the Sabres bench boss and the young American.
Musical interlude opportunity accepted:
Ok, strictly speaking Samuelsson is listed as having both Swedish and American citizenship, but he’s consistently represented the US internationally throughout his young career. Besides, why pass up an opportunity to post some Bowie? Now some could argue that at 21 years old, and with only 23 games played in the AHL, Samuelsson is a prime candidate to go back to Rochester and play big minutes under head coach Seth Appert with guys like Jack Quinn while rounding out his game before entering the bigs. That’s an entirely reasonable point of view and an understandable decision if that’s indeed the path the Sabres choose with Samuelsson. It’s also worth mentioning that Appert actually coached Samuelsson with the USNDTP so there’s also a bond of sorts there.
Conversely, it’s possible that Granato could achieve the same level of development at the National Hockey League level due to his pedigree with mentoring young players. A project like this is what made Granato a good idea to begin with: he’s here to bring the young talent along successfully.
Plenty of Sabres fans aren’t too familiar with Samuelsson as he played all 12 of his NHL games late in the year after there was nothing to play for, and thus, these games happened after a good chunk of fans withdrew in disgust and stopped watching the games. The book on Samuelsson is that he’s a large defenseman (6’4,” 226lbs) who plays a simple offensive game and a heavy game along the boards in the defensive zone. He’s not going to “wow” with consistent offensive play, but rather, he projects as stay-at-home kind of guy which is something that the Sabres find themselves needing following the departure of Will Borgen. Here’s what Ben Kerr (lastwordonsports.com) said about Samuelsson before he was drafted in 2018:
Samuelsson has the unique combination of size, physicality and skill that NHL teams covet on their blue line. He may not have the offensive game to be a top power play unit player, but could contribute to a second unit. Samuelsson will need to work on refining his skills, cleaning up his skating, and improving discipline. As he is headed to the NCAA, there is plenty of time for him to improve. Samuelsson’s game is reminiscent of a left-handed Brent Seabrook. This is a stylistic comparison only though, and not one based on potential or ability.
It would be wildly unrealistic to plop Samuelsson into a top-pair or even top-4 role, but the 6’4” 226-pounder has the size necessary to play reasonable minutes on the third pair in an NHL role. We’re not talking about a player who still needs to fill out his frame before being thrown into the crucible of an NHL season as was the case with Sam Reinhart during his first taste of NHL action. The issue for Samuelsson at this point is just giving him plenty of reps to hone his skills in a responsible fashion so as to not put too much on his plate too quickly, and that’s where his defensive partner comes in.
In terms of a steady-eddy partner on the back end, Mark Pysyk is an excellent candidate to play along side the former second-round pick. (Point of order here: Samuelsson was selected 32nd overall in 2018 which would have made him a first round pick in 2021.) Pysyk is not going to play a flashy, dazzling brand of hockey, but he will make simple plays to exit the zone in an orderly fashion which is perfect for Samuelsson as he learns the ropes at the next level. Samuelsson won’t have to bail out a defensive partner who is trying to go end-to-end or cover up for a guy who is out of position due to an attempted big hit. That duo could provide a solid, serviceable pair to play 15-16 minutes a night against moderate competition while being defensively responsible.
It’s also a surprisingly large pair with Samuelsson at 6’4” and Mark Pysyk at 6’1”. No one is going to accuse Pysyk of being a physical defenseman but it’s a good-sized pair for whatever it’s worth.
Ultimately, it could very well be Hägg who gets the gig here while Samuelsson marinates in the AHL with Seth Appert for another year or two, but the Sabres should give the big kid a real shot at the roster in the fall. If he looks the part and earns the role then he deserves to be in Buffalo. It makes sense to give the fans some hope for the future by showing them a player like Samuelsson in a year where the Sabres figure to contend for absolutely nothing rather than trotting out a veteran who likely has no future with the team. If he earns the spot, he should get the job. For too long the Sabres have simply handed jobs to veterans due to contract status rather than actual playing ability.
At the very least, this will be a prime camp battle worth watching.
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