Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is currently on an indefinite leave due to an upper-body injury. It is expected that he will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Samuelsson has not played since January 23, when the team suffered a loss against the Anaheim Ducks. The players of the Sabres, who returned from the NHL All-Star game, were informed that Samuelsson would be absent due to the long-lasting effects of his upper-body injury.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for the team, particularly for Samuelsson, who has been dealing with persistent injuries throughout the season. His most recent injury occurred during the game against the Ducks. The Sabres will now have to play without Samuelsson, as well as other injured players, such as [Name] (lower-body injury) and [Name] (out of the lineup for three weeks).
Fans have expressed their well wishes to the 23-year-old player, but some have also labeled him as injury-prone. One user on X stated, “The Sabres need to trade him. He is always hurt. Drop the dead weight and bring in someone new.” Another user commented, “The glass man broke again!” With the absence of Samuelsson, the team will be without two of their top young players as they strive for a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup.
The team will face challenges without Samuelsson, as they are currently 10 points behind the wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Despite their previous season’s record, head coach [Name] remains confident in their performance for the rest of the regular season. During the offseason, the Sabres acquired NHL veterans [Name] and [Name], while rookie [Name] has shown promising results on the team’s blue line.
Samuelsson’s absence will test the depth of the Sabres as they prepare to compete against strong opponents in their quest for the Stanley Cup. Granato emphasized the need for other players to step up and fill the void left by the absence of key players.