Victor Olofsson is one player the Buffalo Sabres could move on from next season. Here are three likely replacements for the winger.
Victor Olofsson could be the Buffalo Sabres most curious player. On one end, his 28 goals tell us he’s one of the better scorers on the team, and Olofsson could have hit 30 goals if he wasn’t scratched during the latter stages of the season.
Then again, he was often a scratch late in the year because head coach Don Granato had better options bringing a more well-rounded game. If there is one Sabre most likely to be moved this offseason, it’s Olofsson, given both his overall marginal play and the fact general manager Kevyn Adams may want to infuse younger talent who bring more value to the team.
Buffalo Sabres can replace Victor Olofsson with the following players
1 – Jiri Kulich
Jiri Kulich finished fifth on the Rochester Amerks with 46 points in 62 contests, and he also topped the team with 24 goals. Besides being an avid scorer, Kulich has shown a high motor regardless of whether he played in the AHL, or the IIHF Worlds.
Kulich will be joining the Sabres in 2023-24, even if it’s not to replace Olofsson. But as it stands, Olofsson is the odd man out.
2 – Matt Savoie
Matt Savoie played in 62 regular season games and six playoff games, totaling 109 points, 45 goals, and 64 assists. While they’re a far cry from Connor Bedard numbers, Savoie has shown us he’s ready to take the next step and join the NHL ranks.
The only question is, with such a young, but talent-laden roster, who does he replace? Once again, Olofsson is the primary name I can see him taking a spot from, or perhaps Tyson Jost if the Buffalo Sabres place a higher stock on those they invested a high draft pick in over a waiver wire pickup.
3 – Lukas Rousek
Lukas Rousek showed us he’s more than ready to jump to the NHL level, and he led the Rochester Americans in points with 56 (16 + 40). Rousek also has the advantage here, thanks to his two games of NHL experience.
However, with Kyle Okposo and/or Zemgus Girgensons possibly leaving, Rousek could potentially wind up as a fourth liner at winger alongside Peyton Krebs. But he showed enough this past year to replace Olofsson if the coaching staff believes Savoie and Kulich could use another season in the WHL and AHL, respectively.
Source: Sabres notebook: Victor Olofsson frustrated by finish but proud of his season by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, Amerks.com, and Elite-Prospects)