Buffalo Sabres: Samuelsson named one of NHL’s most underrated D-Men

Harman Dayal of The Athletic named their top ten most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and Mattias Samuelsson of the Buffalo Sabres made the cut. 

Last week, I made the argument that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was the Team MVP considering how poorly they often played without him in the lineup. Of course, shortly after that proclamation, the Blue and Gold turned around and posted a serviceable effort against the New Jersey Devils, before shutting out the New York Islanders without Samuelsson in the lineup.

Who would’ve thought, right? But that doesn’t stop sports journalists in hockey circles from rightfully pointing out Samuelsson’s sheer value. And if anything, he is underrated, as The Athletic’s Harman Dayal stated in their list of the NHL’s most underrated defensemen. Here is a snippet of what Dayal said:

"“That’s put a spotlight on the importance of Mattias Samuelsson, their go-to rugged defensive defensemen, who’s been in and out of the lineup because of injuries.Buffalo has a 28-16-4 record when Samuelsson’s played and a dismal 7-15-2 record when he’s been hurt.” via The Athletic"

Mattias Samuelsson an underrated, valuable piece of the Buffalo Sabres

What’s interesting about Mattias Samuelsson is that he’s played in just 102 contests and has yet to see a full season, thanks to multiple injuries sustained in 2022-23. But he seems to be getting better, even with his limited NHL experience and constant trips to injured reserve.

In 42 contests last season, he burst onto the scene with 100 hits and 60 blocks. And while his number of hits this year sits at just 89, everything else has pointed north. He has 80 blocks, 18 takeaways, and just 16 giveaways. By contrast, he gave up the puck 28 times in those 42 games last year, and took it away from opponents on just eight occasions.

What’s better? The Sabres are taking more shots with Samuelsson on the ice, with his Corsi and Fenwick trending upward a 1.6% and 2%, respectively at 5-on-5. While Buffalo’s goaltending has struggled this year, it sits at a relatively healthy 0.906 with Samuelsson on the ice in the same category.

Overall, Samuelsson has improved many facets of his game this season. And if he gets healthy, expect his performance to keep trending north.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

Source: The NHL’s top 10 most underrated defensemen and why they’re so valuable by Harman Dayal, TheAthletic.com.