Over the summer, the Buffalo Sabres signed Victor Olofsson to a two-year extension with an AAV of $4.750 million, basically a bridge deal.
Throughout the Buffalo Sabres faithful, I have heard differing viewpoints on Victor Olofsson. Some fans want him to stay long-term while others believe he would make a good trading chip either this season or next.
The latter, however, is not going to happen unless the Sabres get respectable compensation, so in the short-term at least, forget about trading Olofsson. It’s not going to happen unless the Sabres, currently 7-3-0, collapse and are once again bottom-dwellers at the trade deadline.
And while Olofsson can make definite improvements to his game, especially in the 5-on-5 arena, he’s also been among the most effective players on the Sabres in the season’s early going. Given his recent success, he is making a case to stick with the Blue and Gold long-term.
Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson making his case
You can put an asterisk beside this because of the empty-netters, but technically, Olofsson has four games of at least two goals in 2022. One last night against the Penguins, another versus the Chicago Blackhawks, another against the Vancouver Canucks, and he logged his first against the Ottawa Senators.
Again, you can put an asterisk there, but it’s still saying something – especially since one of those goals served as a game-winner. Not only is Olofsson leading the Sabres with eight goals, he’s also taken 47 shots, including 32 shots on goal. Of his 32 SOG, Olofsson has converted eight of them, good for 25%.
Once again, he has been a power play specialist, often sneaking to his favorite spot on the right circle, and drilling the puck toward the goal. Given his efficacy on the power play, his ability to seal games, and yes, even score during clutch 5-on-5 moments, Olofsson has shown he is too valuable for the Sabres to eventually trade or let go two seasons from now.
And while this can change, as it stands, Olofsson would be the kind of player general manager Kevyn Adams would like to keep around long-term. We will see if Olofsson continues to uphold his pace as the season progresses.
Article Source: Observations: Sabres roar back from two-goal deficit to win third straight by Lance Lysowski
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)