You keep Samuelsson on the team because of the salary cap. You don't pay him a ton and he contributes some offense and really is not a liability. He also has the ability to score in bunches. When I've watched Samuelsson in person, his ability stands out more than when you see him on TV.
Additionally, he is fairly good with handling the puck and one particular strength is his ability to get into the zone with a puck possession, which is better than a dump in and chase.
That said, I think he wastes some of his talent and I wonder if he is a mental-case type of player. I suggest this because when he plays well, he will score 10 goals and 20 points over 20-25 games and then you won't hear from him for another 20-25 games. I wonder if he has drastic swings in his confidence in his game. I also wonder if he is used differently by Babcock in different types of games, which would affect his production. Again, I think he has a great wrist shot (which for long stretches never seems to be on net or is directed right at the goalie's chest) and I think he handles the puck well but he can't seem to put together any consistency.
But, as I said before, this is a salary cap world and a Mikael Samuelsson is far better than most teams can offer as a 6th or 7th forward, especially at the price.
