The Sabers signing a player with just 54 NHL games to his name to a $30 million contract certainty turned some heads. Mattias Samuelsson isn’t a household name yet, especially outside of Buffalo, but he has more than enough time to become one now that he’s signed for seven years starting next season.
If Samuelsson develops into a legitimate top-four defender, which the Sabers clearly believe will be the case, this will look like an incredibly savvy move. Who doesn’t want a top-four defenseman with a cap hit below $4.3 million? If not, it becomes a short-sighted deal that Buffalo didn’t have to commit to this soon.
But the Sabers aren’t the only team taking this leap with their younger players, it’s a trend that’s been building over the last year. And if managers start showing positive results from this proactive approach, it may become the new normal around the league.
Generally, only elite players are signed to massive contracts in their 20s — think Connor McDavid and Cale Makar. Adam Fox earned a max-deal after two stellar seasons at the NHL level before his ELC expired. Miro Heiskanen was inked for eight years even younger at 21 years old because the Stars view him as a franchise player.
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