‘So much misinformation’: Sabres GM Adams shoots down report of Samuelsson buyout

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams took the opportunity on Tuesday to shut down rumors that he and his front office were planning to buy out the contract of defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.

Addressing the media at a press conference just three days before the start of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Adams was unequivocal in his denial of the idea.

“I feel bad for our fans,” he said. “There’s so much misinformation. It’s nonsense. Someone that has no idea what they’re talking about reporting that we’re gonna buy [Samuelsson] out. We’ve never had that conversation once.”

Samuelsson, a 25-year-old defenseman, is signed to a seven-year contract that carries an average annual value of $4.285 million.

The 2025-2026 season will be the third year of the pact.

Because Samuelsson is still 25, a buyout before next season would cost just $7.142 million spread across 10 years, saving the Sabres $3.571 million against the cap for each of the next five years.

However, Adams’ denial of the concept shuts down the possibility.

Buffalo is not facing any sort of cap crunch that would require such a move, as the club has over $23 million in salary cap space according to Puckpedia.

Samuelsson was also a reasonably strong performer on Buffalo’s blue line, as he recorded 14 points in 62 games played and was one of just seven of the team’s skaters to play over half of the 82 games in the regular season and post a positive plus-minus rating.

Adams and the Sabres are looking to reshuffle the roster in a bid to snap the longest active playoff drought in the league, one that stretches back to 2010-2011.

Buffalo finished as the seventh-place team in the Atlantic division with a record of 36-39-7 last year. That put them 12 points behind Montreal for the final wild card spot.