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Sabres Turning Away Trade Interest In Mattias Samuelsson

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The Sabres have heard from teams looking to trade for shutdown defenseman Mattias Samuelsson following another injury-plagued season. However, The Fourth Period reports that general manager Kevyn Adams has been telling interested parties the team has no plans to move on from him.

Samuelsson’s 2023-24 season was the first of the seven-year, $30MM extension he signed in October 2022. Signed on the eve of the Sabres’ regular-season opener last season, it was a controversial buy-low move at the time – he only had 54 NHL games under his belt and hadn’t even scored his first goal.

Early on, Samuelsson, 24, seemed on track to give Buffalo $4.286MM worth of on-ice value yearly as soon as this season. 2022-23 was a solid sophomore campaign for the 2018 second-round pick, who settled into a top-pairing role alongside Rasmus Dahlin and put up 10 points and a +14 rating in 55 games.

All of his 27 absences were due to injuries. A knee injury kept him out of the lineup for most of the season’s first quarter, and an upper-body injury had him in and out of the lineup down the stretch as the Sabres finished one point out of a playoff spot. Juxtaposing their record with and without Samuelsson in the lineup (33-18-4 vs. 9-15-3 without) offered some anecdotal evidence that their decade-plus playoff drought may have ended in 2023 had he stayed healthy.

While the Sabres took a step back this season, mainly due to a lack of scoring, Samuelsson continued improving. He saw his average time on ice reduced from 22:11 to 20:30, no doubt influenced by multiple appearances stunted by injuries, but he posted the best even-strength possession results of his career with a 50.5 CF%. His pairing with Dahlin improved slightly at controlling shot quality, posting an xGF% of 50.0 compared to last season’s 49.4, per MoneyPuck.

Unfortunately, his campaign ended back in late January. After missing a few games with an upper-body injury, later revealed to be shoulder-related, he underwent surgery in early February. He was ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Thankfully, his absence likely won’t stretch into training camp next fall. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reported last month during the Sabres’ end-of-season media availability that Samuelsson had been cleared to resume skating.

He finished the season with one goal, six assists, seven points and a +4 rating in 41 appearances. With his defensive improvements, he arguably provided his highest single-season value as an NHLer, even if their record with and without him this season didn’t have the same dramatic difference as last year.

Some had wondered whether the Sabres would make a corresponding move on defense after striking a deal with the Avalanche to swap Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram before this year’s trade deadline. While most have experience playing both sides, the Sabres’ four highest-value defenders – Byram, Dahlin, Samuelsson and Owen Power – are now all left shots.

It does present a crowded picture, but it’s a cost-controlled one. All except Byram are locked in through at least 2030, and cap space isn’t yet a significant hurdle as the Sabres are tantalizingly close to exiting their years-long rebuild.

Despite his injuries and lengthy contract, Samuelsson’s steady improvements over the past few seasons likely give him some decent trade value. But having a 20-minute-plus defenseman on all three pairings has worked for other teams.

The Lightning had a stacked left side during their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins earlier in the decade, icing Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev on different pairings. With Samuelsson likely sticking around next season, it’s up to incoming head coach Lindy Ruff to decide which of their four minute-munchers is best suited to play on their off side.

The Sabres still have a fair amount of cap space to burn next season – $23.219MM, per CapFriendly. Other offseason priorities will include adding a third-line center to complement Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson and a top-six winger, per The Fourth Period’s report last night. Still, they also have a few restricted free agents to get re-signed. None of them are more crucial than netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, whose .910 SV% in 51 starts this season was instrumental in helping the Sabres allow their fewest goals against per game (2.96) since 2017.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Seth Appert Promoted To Buffalo Sabres Assistant Coach

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The Buffalo Sabres have promoted AHL head coach Seth Appert to an Assistant Coach role with the NHL club, shares the Rochester Americans (Twitter link). Appert will slot in behind new head coach Lindy Ruff, backfilling the role that Jason Christie served behind Don Granato. Appert’s season just recently ended, following a 3-2 series loss against the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL’s North Division Semifinals.

Appert is coming off his fourth season as Rochester’s head coach. He’s led the Americans to the postseason in each of the last three years, going as far as Round 3 last season. The Americans have totaled a 123-94 record under Appert, despite having one of the youngest rosters in the AHL. Appert has been lauded as a development coach, after over 10 years in coaching roles across the NCAA and three years as a head coach in the U.S. National Team Development program. He’s vindicating those development skills now, doing well at supporting the many top prospects in Rochester. Both Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen have carved out top-line, nearly point-per-game roles under Appert – but he’s also found ways to make Viktor Neuchev, Kale Clague, and Nikita Novikov look comfortable in their pro roles.

This move will offer Appert the first NHL role of his career. Buffalo is reportedly content with where their coaching staff sits after his promotion, with the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski sharing that the team is not planning to add anyone else to the NHL staff (Twitter link). Lysowski also shared that veteran NHL defenseman Dan Girardi, who’s served as a development coach for the Sabres since 2020, won’t be back with the team next seasons (Twitter link). These moves round out the Sabres bench and remove Buffalo from the long list of NHL teams currently reworking their coaching staff.

Calle Sjalin Intends To Play In Sweden Next Season

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Sabres blueline prospect Calle Sjalin intends to return to Sweden next season, his agent Claes Elefalk told Hockeysverige’s Mans Karlsson.  The 24-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline from Florida as part of the Kyle Okposo trade.  Sjalin was brought over two years ago but has exclusively played in the AHL and doesn’t appear to be on the verge of pushing for an NHL opportunity.  However, his planned return to the SHL doesn’t mean this is it for him in North America as Elefalk indicated that Sjalin plans to sign for a year or two back home and then give it another go at trying to reach the NHL level.

East Notes: Luukkonen, Senators, Kuznetsov

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Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski writes that the Buffalo Sabres and the agent for goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have opened up talks on a contract extension for the young netminder. The 25-year-old hadn’t been able to find consistency in the NHL prior to last season but was able to assert himself and provide the Sabres with excellent goaltending as he went 27-22-4, with a .910 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA.

Luukkonen is due for a big pay increase from the $925K he made last season, and it will be interesting to see whether he and the Sabres opt for a bridge deal or a long-term commitment. If the two sides opt for arbitration or a bridge deal, Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov would be a good comparison after he signed a one-year contract for $3.55 million last summer.  The alternative to a short-term pact would be a longer-term deal and according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, that type of contract could run the Sabres between $4-5 million per season.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • With the NHL draft lottery complete, the Ottawa Senators will have 24 hours to decide whether to forfeit this year’s first-round pick or push the decision to 2025 or 2026 because of the invalid Evgenii Dadonov trade. Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun tweets that he doesn’t think the Senators will forfeit this year’s pick as Ottawa’s new management group headed by Steve Staios has ramped up their scouting efforts in preparation for this draft. The Senators hold the seventh overall pick after another disappointing season and will likely use the top-10 pick to add to their young core.
  • Luke DeCock of The News & Observer tweeted that the Carolina Hurricanes made Evgeny Kuznetsov a healthy scratch for game 2 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers. Max Comtois will make his NHL playoff debut, skating in Kuznetsov’s place. Carolina dropped the first game of the series on Sunday and have been receiving offensive contributions from Kuznetsov, despite him playing predominantly in a fourth-line role with limited power play time. The 31-year-old struggled in the regular season but has been good offensively in the playoffs, posting two goals and two assists in six games.

Hockey Canada Releases 2024 World Championship Roster

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May 7: Celebrini and Fantilli have returned home from Czechia, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. The former will participate in tonight’s 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, while Fantilli’s reasons for departing are undisclosed. It’s unclear whether they’ve been removed from the roster entirely. In a corresponding transaction, the team added Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Lightning forwards Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul to the roster.

May 3: Hockey Canada has released its roster of 22 players who will wear the maple leaf at the 2024 World Championship, which begins next week in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia. There are three open spots left to be filled throughout the tournament as more teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Much like the initial World Championship roster that USA Hockey released weeks back, it’s almost completely made up of NHL talent – a rarity for the top-level countries at this tournament recently. The return and promise of future best-on-best international tournaments in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics has players and front offices looking at this year’s Worlds as a tune-up and initial evaluation for those events.

In fact, the only non-NHL player on Canada’s tournament-opening roster will be in the league next season. That’s presumptive 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who continues his 2023-24 campaign after taking home the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in his freshman season with Boston University. Their offense is highlighted and led by Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard and Kraken sniper Jared McCann, while Sabres defenders Bowen Byram and Owen Power highlight the back end. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is expected to serve as the team’s starter.

The full roster is as follows:

F Connor Bedard (Blackhawks)
F Michael Bunting (Penguins)
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 draft-eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (Sabres)
F Adam Fantilli (Blue Jackets)
F Ridly Greig (Senators)
F Dylan Guenther (NHL Utah)
F Andrew Mangiapane (Flames)
F Jack McBain (NHL Utah)
F Jared McCann (Kraken)
F Dawson Mercer (Devils)
F Brandon Tanev (Kraken)

D Bowen Byram (Sabres)
D Kaiden Guhle (Canadiens)
D Jamie Oleksiak (Kraken)
D Colton Parayko (Blues)
D Owen Power (Sabres)
D Damon Severson (Blue Jackets)
D Olen Zellweger (Ducks)

G Jordan Binnington (Blues)
G Nico Daws (Devils)
G Joel Hofer (Blues)

Sabres Looking For Center Help This Summer

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The Sabres dealt from their center depth at the trade deadline, moving Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado for Bowen Byram.  Now it appears that they’ll be on the hunt for more help down the middle as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays that Buffalo will be looking for a reliable two-way third-line center next season.  Internally, they were hoping that Peyton Krebs would have some success in that role but he struggled this season, notching just 17 points in 80 games.  Zemgus Girgensons has played down the middle regularly in the past but is a pending UFA and better suited for a spot on the fourth line so it makes sense that GM Kevyn Adams will be looking outside the organization to try to fill that spot.

Sabres Hire Lindy Ruff As Next Head Coach

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The Buffalo Sabres have hired Lindy Ruff to be their next head coach, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Ruff most previously served behind the New Jersey Devils bench, before being dismissed by the team on March 4th. He now returns to the Buffalo organization, where he received the first head coaching opportunity of his career in 1997. Ruff would serve 16 years behind Buffalo’s bench, becoming the longest-tenured, active coach in the NHL – and then the second longest across all four major sports leagues behind Gregg Popovich – before he was dismissed by the Sabres in February of 2013.

Ruff led the Sabres to the postseason eight different times over his tenure, including twice in his final three years. But that success wasn’t enough, with the team deciding to go a different direction just 17 games into the lockout season of 2013. Buffalo hasn’t seen a postseason berth since, extending the record for the longest playoff drought in NHL history at 13 seasons this year. That’s a dismal record to have, though it seems Buffalo’s worst days are behind them. They moved away from long-time general manager Jason Botterill in 2019-20 and have since brought in multiple key players, with incumbent Kevyn Adams adding Bowen Byram, Devon Levi, Jack Quinn, and John-Jason Peterka. He’s also built out the team’s prospect room, drafting Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, and Matthew Savoie in just the last two years.

Adams has had plenty of time to put the Sabres on a new path, even if it’s come at the cost of a few playoff races. But now, coming off the heels of their two highest-scoring seasons since Ruff left, the Sabres are ready to pursue the postseason

Adams has had plenty of time to chart a new course for the Sabres, and it’s clearly paid off – with the last two years marking Buffalo’s two highest-scoring seasons since Ruff left. But their woes now seem to be a question of performance, instead of talent, and there’s no doubt that the right system could spark talent throughout the Sabres lineup. They seem ready to lean into that talent with this move – gearing up to pursue the playoffs in the only way they know how: with Lindy Ruff behind the bench.

Sabres Working To Extend Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

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The Buffalo Sabres are working on signing goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to an extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shares in the latest 32 Thoughts article. Luukkonen is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Goalie partner Eric Comrie is also set to enter free agency this summer, while rookie Devon Levi is signed through the end of next season.

Luukkonen unexpectedly found his way into the starter’s net this season, appearing in 54 games despite competition from Levi and Comrie. He performed well with the chance, recording 27 wins and a .910 save percentage. – serving as the only Sabres goalie to record a save percentage above .900. This season marked Luukkonen’s first year in a full-time NHL role, after splitting the last three years between the major and minor leagues. And while he performed well, he wasn’t the starter many Sabres fans expected entering the season. That weight was instead on 22-year-old Levi’s shoulders – but he quickly lost the role after posting four wins and a .887 save percentage through his first 10 games. Luukkonen stepped in as relief and didn’t let go of the role.

At 25, Luukkonen seems poised for at least another chance at a starting role, though Levi’s presence could make a long-term extension challenging for the Sabres to commit to. How they decide to organize their goaltenders for next season could be very telling into Buffalo’s long-term plans.

Five Sabres Expected To Play At World Championship

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  • The Buffalo Sabres will have good reason to tune into the 2024 World Championship, as five different Sabres are expected to represent their country, per Rachel Hopmayer of Spectrum News in Buffalo (Twitter link). This includes Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Dylan Cozens representing Team Canada; Rasmus Dahlin representing Team Sweden; and John-Jason Peterka representing Team Germany. Zach Benson and Jack Quinn also mentioned that they haven’t yet been contacted by Team Canada, though they’d have to discuss with general manager Kevyn Adams before committing, per X (Twitter link).

Morning Notes: Cozens, NHL Awards, Gauthier

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens will play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. The 23-year-old last played for Team Canada two years ago at the World Championship and was second in team scoring with seven goals and six assists in 10 games.

Cozens had a disappointing run during his fourth NHL season as he and the Sabres missed the playoffs once again, extending the second-longest playoff drought in North American pro sports. The Whitehorse, Yukon native saw his point total decrease by 21 as he dropped to just 18 goals and 29 assists in 79 games this year after posting career highs during the 2022-23 season with 31 goals and 37 assists in 81 games. Despite his disappointing campaign, Cozens is still hoping to end the 2023-24 season on a high note with Canada. He cited the chase for a gold medal as his main reason for electing to extend his season and play in the tournament.

In other morning notes:

  • TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the NHL does plan to hold an NHL Awards ceremony in the coming months and is currently looking to secure a venue for the show. The league hasn’t finalized any of the details at this time and remains in talks with several locations. Currently, the NHL hopes to hold the show on June 27th in Las Vegas which would be the eve of the NHL Entry Draft.
  • Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier will make his NHL debut tonight in the Ducks season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Hobey Baker finalist signed his three-year entry-level contract earlier in the week and will make his debut in Las Vegas. Gauthier was acquired by the Ducks earlier this season in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick and figures to be a massive part of Anaheim’s forward group going forward.  No word yet on where he will play in the Ducks lineup.

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