Will Victor Olofsson lead the Buffalo Sabres in points?
By Sion Fawkes
A plethora of incoming and rising talent may prevent Olofsson from pacing the Buffalo Sabres
Olofsson rightfully did not receive a long-term deal. He showed a lot last season, but not enough to warrant anything more than a well-paying bridge contract. As I said in the previous slide, the Buffalo Sabres are more talented this season and will figure to score far more than they did in 2021-22.
While I further said this could benefit Olofsson in the event of sustaining and returning from injury, it could likewise act as a hindrance. The reason behind this is simple: With more talent on the team, Olofsson could also lose his spot on one of the top two scoring lines.
Of course, I am talking about J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn, both of whom will likely start the season on the lower lines unless they dominate in training camp. If Olofsson goes down with an injury, it would give most likely Quinn an opportunity to take over at right wing on the second line, with Peterka manning the third.
Further, what if Quinn and Peterka end up outperforming Olofsson, injury or no injury? Do you go with the younger talent over the veteran? Or, do you only do so on a part-time basis?
This could even be no fault to Olofsson, but just Quinn and Peterka developing quickly. Odds are, in a situation like this, head coach Don Granato will most likely increase Quinn and Peterka’s ice time. And if they continue to outperform Olofsson in this scenario, odds are, Olofsson would be a supporting player scoring closer to his 49-point floor.
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Overall, I believe Olofsson has a chance to lead the Buffalo Sabres in points. But he would need to play in at least 75 games to do this and average at least close to a point per game. Given his performance in October 2021, we know Olofsson is capable. He also needs to remain one step ahead of the upstart Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)