Mattias Samuelsson is carving out a season unlike any other defenseman in the NHL right now-and he’s doing it with a rare blend of grit and scoring touch that’s turning heads across the league.
With 10-plus goals and over 90 hits already on the year, Samuelsson stands alone in a statistical category no other blueliner has cracked this season. That’s not just a quirky stat line-it’s a testament to the kind of two-way impact he’s bringing to the ice every night for the Buffalo Sabres.
He officially joined this exclusive (and currently solo) club during the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he lit the lamp twice. The second goal in particular was a beauty-Samuelsson jumped into the rush, cut through the middle of the ice, took a feed, and ripped a left-side shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy’s glove. It was the kind of confident, in-stride finish you expect from a top-line forward, not a defenseman known for doing the dirty work.
But that’s the thing-Samuelsson is doing both. He’s now up to 11 goals and 23 assists on the season, shattering his previous career highs.
To put that in perspective, he had just 14 total points last season. This year?
He’s already at 34, and we’re not even into the final stretch yet.
And while the offensive surge is grabbing headlines, his physical play hasn’t taken a backseat. Samuelsson has racked up 91 hits so far, a continuation of the physical presence he’s brought every year-he’s topped 100 hits in each of the past four seasons.
But where he’s leveled up is in blocking shots. With 112 blocks and counting, he’s already set a new personal best in that department, showing he’s just as committed to protecting his own net as he is to attacking the other.
This is the kind of breakout campaign that changes how a player is perceived across the league. Samuelsson isn’t just a stay-at-home defenseman anymore. He’s evolving into a true all-situations player-someone the Sabres can trust on the power play, the penalty kill, and in the final minutes of tight games.
Buffalo’s blue line has needed a player like this-someone who brings a physical edge, offensive upside, and the kind of consistency that anchors a defensive unit. Samuelsson is delivering all of that and more. The Sabres are still fighting to find their identity in a tough Eastern Conference, but performances like his are giving them a foundation to build around.
If he keeps this up, we might be looking at one of the most quietly dominant seasons by a defenseman in the league this year. And it’s no longer just about potential with Samuelsson-it’s about production.