The Buffalo Sabres will inevitably trade Victor Olofsson at some point this offseason. Here is how they can best sell his services to other teams.
Despite putting up 28 goals in 2022-23, the Buffalo Sabres will be looking to trade Victor Olofsson this offseason. So why did the Sabres lose patience with a player who seemed to score more than his fair share of goals?
This was someone who literally did nothing else on the ice. He couldn’t play defense, he finished the year with a -23 rating (-18 at 5-on-5), both his Corsi and Fenwick For percentages rested under 50% at even strength and at 50.1% and 48.8%, respectively, at 5-on-5, and the Blue and Gold’s overall on-ice save percentage sat at an abysmal 87.1% when Olofsson was on the ice. Despite his ability to score, the numbers above show you the overall mess of a season it was for the former seventh-round pick.
So would any NHL franchise be willing to take the risk and trade for Olofsson? Here are three ways the Sabres can sway one of the other 31 general managers to take a chance on the winger.
3 ways the Buffalo Sabres can sell Victor Olofsson’s services
1 – Sell his effectiveness on the power play
General manager Kevyn Adams needs to hone in on Olofsson’s ability to score goals on the power play. Over the last two seasons, 14 of Olofsson’s 48 goals have come on the man advantage, and you can’t deny that he still has a tremendous shot from the circle.
No, Olofsson can’t provide much more value to a team. But for a would-be contender looking to add a forward who can provide an immediate boost to their power play, Olofsson can be their guy.
2 – Sell the short-term contract
Adams could also sell Olofsson as a potential stopgap to teams who may have effective forwards on the power play in their prospects pool, but aren’t quite ready for the demands of an 82-game NHL season. With one year remaining on his contract, Olofsson provides the perfect one-year solution.
Sure, it would be a short-term fix for another team, but it’s unlikely Adams will get much out of the former seventh round pick. So flipping Olofsson for something like a late-round draft pick would give another franchise an effective scorer for a year while it frees up a roster spot for the Buffalo Sabres to perhaps call up a prospect for 2023-24.
3 – Sell the cost-effectiveness of Olofsson’s contract
There are multiple aspects of Olofsson’s contract the Sabres can sell. Not only is it short, but at $4.75 million next season, Olofsson isn’t breaking the bank. If Adams can sell the fact that acquiring Olofsson will come at a cheaper price than going out and signing a free agent to fill the same role, he could move the winger sooner than later.
The short-term, cost-effective commitment for a power play specialist like Olofsson should entice a few teams to take a flier on him. And if he continues to struggle, then they can let him walk next season in free agency. But if Olofsson’s game improves, he’s still young enough to become a pivotal part of an NHL roster.
Source: Victor Olofsson and his camp expect a trade from Sabres, but it could take a while by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)