At one point, Victor Olofsson looked like he was going to have a promising career with the Buffalo Sabres and he could be one of the players to turn the franchise around. The former seventh round pick had a breakout season in 2019-20 when he had 42 points and was named to first-team All-Rookie team.
Olofsson was a consistent presence on the Sabres the next few seasons after that rookie season and averaged over 40 points per season the next three years. He would struggle his final season in Buffalo with only 15 points in 51 games and would leave in free agency after that season.
After one season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Olofsson was one of the best free agents still available at this point of the offseason. However, that changed on Wednesday when he signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.
Should the Buffalo Sabres have brought Victor Olofsson back this summer?
Victor Olofsson can still contribute even if he is not playing at the level he did early in his career. For the Sabres, he could have been a good veteran depth forward and could contribute on the power play. Last season with the Golden Knights, Olofsson had 15 goals, six on the power play, with a shooting percentage of 13.8%
The challenge would have been finding a spot among the forwards with the current contracts they have on the roster. Olofsson would have certainly been an upgrade over Jordan Greenway but Buffalo just extended him last season with a two-year extension.
For the Sabres, it should have been at least a discussion to see if it would be possible to bring back Victor Olofsson but it is tough to find a way to make it happen with the way the roster is currently set up.