The NHL trade deadline is just five days away and the Buffalo Sabres will be selling.
The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to bolster their minor league system and acquire a few draft picks at the trade deadline, barring anything unforeseen. There are a few players this team should not consider selling, but Victor Olofsson jumps out as a player that would make zero sense to trade.
While Olofsson has the third-largest base salary on the team at $3.25 million that’s set to expire following the season, he has shown enough to at least warrant an audition to stick around. The Sabres winger has set himself up to achieve career-highs in games played, and he may at least threaten his career-high in points.
It makes no sense for the Buffalo Sabres to trade Victor Olofsson
Olofsson is logging less time on the ice now than he has over his four seasons with the Sabres. He lacks physicality, and he has been inconsistent in the goal scoring department.
But his puck control has improved dramatically this season, logging a fair 17 assists and committing just 10 giveaways so far. Yeah, he’s shooting a career low nine percent. However, he has also tied a career-high in game-winning goals with four. And he has a month-and-a-half, assuming the Sabres don’t move him, to set a new one.
Overall, Olofsson isn’t the team’s best player and no, he hasn’t lived up to his $3.25 million contract. But he has shown enough and he’s young enough to become an integral part of this rebuilding Sabres team for years to come.
Not that the Sabres will bring him back after his contract expires. But he’s one player they can afford to lose for nothing, given his age and the flashes he’s shown this season.
It’s also worth noting that, despite seeing less time on the ice, Olofsson is also on pace to log new career-highs in total shots attempted and shots on goal. Showing that he has gotten more aggressive with the puck.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)