Confirmed with Link: Mattias Samuelsson Signs 7 year extension ($4.29M AAV)

[GrierIsGod123]

You wonder if a guy like Ryan Johnson sees this from a distance, and might see that path opening up. Wishful thinking on my part, but think he'd be a nice piece as a # 5 in this d-core.

 

[stokes84]

This is how you get guys signed to long term, team friendly deals.

You have to roll the dice.

I have been on the MattSam bandwagon since he was drafted and a lot of people were skeptical because of the skating and the fear that he was too slow to be a modern top 4 D.

I think those concerns are long gone. At least they are for me.

The only question with MattSam for me is his durability because of the style of game he plays both being physical and eating pucks.


Having a top 4 D making less than $5M against the cap is a good deal. That is how you justify it.

The Sabres are betting that Sam-Dahlin is a pairing for a long time.

There has never been a player with that limited of a resume get this type of contract. I don’t know that he’s a long term solution in the top 4. I’m not even sure I have reason to be optimistic about it.

 

[Chainshot]

There has never been a player with that limited of a resume get this type of contract. I don’t know that he’s a long term solution in the top 4. I’m not even sure I have reason to be optimistic about it.

If you can't project him as a top 4 defenseman, then any other part of the conversation is not going to reach anything to speak to why this was done.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

There has never been a player with that limited of a resume get this type of contract. I don’t know that he’s a long term solution in the top 4. I’m not even sure I have reason to be optimistic about it.

Oscar Klefbom - 77 games - got a 7 year deal
John Klingberg - 60-65 games - got a 7 year deal

There's 2 easy ones

 

[Willgamesh]

Awesome deal, happy to have him locked up.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Love this deal



Gambling? As in careless spending? I thought they were cheap penny pinchers?

You know. Super cheap or wrecklessly throwing away money….depends on what argument @TehDoak wants to make

 

[stokes84]

If you can't project him as a top 4 defenseman, then any other part of the conversation is not going to reach anything to speak to why this was done.

Correct. It’s certifiably insane and has no realistic justification. That’s my opinion.

 

[drew5580]

Next off season, offer 7 years, 4 mil per.

Lock him up fast, and long. Here's your Nik Hjalmarsson of the Sabres.

 

[Matt Ress]

Love this

 

[Dirty Dog]

This is exactly how you afford Dahlin and Power long term. You find very very good partners for them and sign them to team friendly contracts. Which takes some risk. But this is the sabres trying to lock up a key top 4 defensemen on a team value contract

 

[Jim Bob]

Correct. It’s certifiably insane and has no realistic justification. That’s my opinion.

So, Samuelsson starting the season as Dahlin's partner after playing really well with Dahlin last year does not allow you to project him as a top 4 D on this team moving forward?

Interesting.

 

[MOGlLNY]

Doak doesn't like this? I'm shocked.

 

[Fjordy]

Great contract

 

[DapperCam]

What I love most about this is that the Sabres obviously have a specific role in mind for him and have decided that this is the correct price for that role. It also indicates that he agrees the role and the price is appropriate and something he’s willing to commit to.

This kind of forward thinking and management being on the same page as the players has just been absent the last 10 years.

 

[Matt Ress]

You. Don't. Sign. Players. To. Long. Term. Deals. After. One. good. NHL. Season.

I like Samuelsson as much as anyone. This is completely and totally unecessary.

Between this and Thompson, Adams is just gambling away cap space and hoping these are good deals in 3 years when he has no reason to. Just unforced errors.

Go look at Toronto with Zaitsev. Or Ottawa with Chabot. You don't go into these long term deals lightly.

That's a short sighted way to look at things. This is relatively low risk and locks up a guy with the most straight forward, translatable skill set. Really a no brainer.

 

[Chainshot]

Correct. It’s certifiably insane and has no realistic justification. That’s my opinion.

Yep, got it. I admit, I was hoping for closer to Whitecloud who is the unicorn, gold standard of value deals IMO for defensemen. But in league terms? If you can see him as the top-4 guy he is, it's a pretty tasty contract as long as he stays healthy.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

delete.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I love this deal. Predicted 6 x $4.6M, so this was even a little better than I expected.

Glad he’s here for a long time.

 

[Chainshot]

Next off season, offer 7 years, 4 mil per.

Lock him up fast, and long. Here's your Nik Hjalmarsson of the Sabres.

You were close.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Limited upside? As a rookie he played great defensively, was physical, and paced for 20 points. Maintaining that play would value you at 4 million a year

Any growth makes this a great contract.

 

[MOGlLNY]

We'll go through the 3 logical ways this could go. Best to worst:

1. Sammy becomes Dahlin's partner for the next decade, Dahlin is free to roam and they thrive together. Worth so far beyond what he's making.
2. Sammy becomes a solid Top 4 guy. With the cap shooting up that's a more than fair deal for him.
3. Sammy bombs out and is a brutal bottom pairing guy. Ok great, we buy him out for on the cheap because he will be under 26.

Any way you slice it I highly doubt shit hits the fan on this deal, we have a way bigger problem than his contract being bad if we have to buy him out. We'd be losing a major piece of our future if he stops developing or plummets.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Really not sure how I feel about this signing... I absolutely LOVE Sammy's game and what he brings. I wanted them to lock him up eventually but zero goals and played only 54 games worries me... Who gets a $30 mil contract with those stats? Just praying the Sabre's make this contract look like a steal.

 

[Jim Bob]

We'll go through the 3 logical ways this could go. Best to worst:

1. Sammy becomes Dahlin's partner for the next decade, Dahlin is free to roam and they thrive together. Worth so far beyond what he's making.
2. Sammy becomes a solid Top 4 guy. With the cap shooting up that's a more than fair deal for him.
3. Sammy bombs out and is a brutal bottom pairing guy. Ok great, we buy him out for on the cheap because he will be under 26.

Any way you slice it I highly doubt shit hits the fan on this deal, we have a way bigger problem than his contract being bad if we have to buy him out. We'd be losing a major piece of our future if he stops developing or plummets.

If he bombs out, they won't need to buy him out. Some GM that overvalues physical play will trade for him.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Wow, this one caught me totally off guard! I was not expecting a 7yr deal for Samuelsson after 50 some NHL games played.

But this seems like one of those deals that could end up being a bargain over the life of the deal.

 

[gallagt01]

Love this deal. This is the kind of contract that becomes a steal in time and is never debilitating given the relatively low AAV. Hjalmarsson-esque. Even if he ends up short of the player they envision, it's always a manageable deal.