Sabres Extend Don Granato, Mattias Samuelsson Ahead of Regular-Season Opener
The Buffalo Sabres aren’t taking any days off ahead of Thursday’s regular-season opener versus the Ottawa Senators.
Taking care of some of their own, the team announced a new multi-year contract extension for head coach Don Granato on Wednesday. The 55-year-old’s current deal runs through 2023-24, so he’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future in Buffalo.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams also issued a statement, explaining the decision to extend Granato before his second full season with the franchise.
“Don’s passion for the game and leadership skills have been on display since the moment we met,” Adams said. “He is someone who the players have a tremendous amount of respect for, and he dedicates himself to bettering each individual on the team.
“Don’s mentality of ’earning it’ resonates throughout the team – it is more than just a mindset, it is a driving force for our players and staff. I appreciate his thoughtfulness when it comes to developing our players and the open communication we are able to have about the team. I am happy to extend Don’s contract, keeping him in Western New York for many years to come.”
Amid a 12-game losing skid, the Sabres fired Ralph Krueger midway through the 2020-21 season. They finished 9-16-3 under Granato, but couldn’t avoid finishing last in the East Division.
Buffalo displayed encouraging signs last season, placing fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 32-39-11 record and 75 points. Sadly, they still missed the playoffs by a wide margin.
But with a talented young core, headlined by Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Peyton Krebs and Dylan Cozens, Granato hopes his team can take another positive step forward this year.
The Sabres also inked defenceman Mattias Samuelsson to a seven-year, $30-million contract extension that’ll begin next season and carry through 2029-30. It features a $4.28 million cap hit per year and extends him beyond his age-29 season.
Unlike Granato’s deal, Samuelsson’s came as a bit of a shock as he’s played just 54 career NHL games, with 42 of them taking place last season. The 6-foot-4 lefty did pair well with Dahlin down the stretch however, averaging 21:19 minutes of ice-time over his final 22 contests.
In total, the 22-year-old posted 10 points (10 assists), 100 hits, 60 blocks, 44 shots on goal and eight takeaways during his second NHL campaign.
Samuelsson wasn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2026-27 season, so there wasn’t any rush to extend him. If he remains a top-pairing defenseman, though, his cap hit could prove to be a bargain for Buffalo.
Of course, with just 12 career points – all assists – thus far, there’s some risk involved with signing a young player at this stage of his career. If he doesn’t play up to expectations, the team could be stuck with his long-term contract.
By all accounts, that doesn’t appear to be the case as Samuelsson was among the standouts throughout training camp. If that trend continues, the 32nd overall selection from 2018 could enjoy a breakout performance.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Doug Kerr. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.