The Sabres added an important member of their defense corps Friday with Mattias Samuelsson joining the team ahead of the matchup against the Boston Bruins inside KeyBank Center.
Samuelsson, 21, missed the previous five weeks after suffering a lower-body injury on a blocked shot in the opening game of the Sabres’ Prospects Challenge. A left-shot defenseman selected by Buffalo in the second round in 2018, Samuelsson impressed during his 12 NHL games last spring and was a candidate to make the club’s roster out of Don Granato’s first training camp as coach.
Instead, Samuelsson missed the entire training camp and the Sabres entered their game Friday with seven healthy defensemen: Rasmus Dahlin, Will Butcher, Jacob Bryson, Colin Miller, Robert Hagg, Mark Pysyk and recent waiver claim Christian Wolanin.
“I felt confident going into camp,” Samuelsson said. “Getting that little taste last year, I felt I was actually in the running for pushing for a spot on the team on a nightly basis. Not that the chance was taken away or anything, but I just have to earn it in a different way now.”
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Granato told reporters following the skate that the Sabres have yet to decide if Samuelsson will join the Rochester Americans in the coming days. The team will monitor his progress before finalizing a plan.
It’s unlikely the Sabres would want Samuelsson to sit as a healthy scratch and missing an entire training camp precludes him from an immediate jump into the NHL lineup. He can join the Amerks and earn his way back to Buffalo.
Hughes out
The New Jersey Devils will be without top center Jack Hughes when they host the Sabres on Saturday night. Hughes, a 20-year-old drafted first overall in 2019, dislocated his shoulder on a hit from Seattle defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Hughes won’t require surgery and has begun rehabbing. He had 11 goals and 31 points in 56 games last season.
Rotation
With Craig Anderson in goal for the Sabres on Friday, it’s likely Granato will turn to Dustin Tokarski against the Devils. Tokarski, 32, stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over Arizona last Saturday.
