Sabres place key defenseman on IR

Mattias Samuelsson’s lower-body injury from last night’s game against Philadelphia will keep him out for at least a week as he has been placed on injured reserve.  Taking his place on the roster will be Ryan Johnson who has been recalled per the AHL’s transactions log.

Samuelsson was averaging over 21 minutes a night heading into last night’s game (third among Sabres blueliners) while being a key cog on Buffalo’s penalty kill.  He has a goal and two assists plus 25 hits and 25 blocks through his first 11 games of the season and his absence will certainly be notable inside their top four.  The 23-year-old is in the first season of a seven-year, $30M contract that was signed a little over a year ago when he had less than 60 games of NHL experience under his belt.

As for Johnson, he is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career last year at the University of Minnesota.  He had 18 points in 40 games for the Golden Gophers, giving him 59 points in 143 contests over his four seasons there.

The 2019 first-round pick is off to a decent start with AHL Rochester, notching four assists in his first nine games and now has a chance to get his first taste of NHL action.  If he doesn’t take Samuelsson’s spot in the lineup, Jacob Bryson would be next in line after being healthy scratched on Friday.