Making the Case for the Calgary Flames to Re-Sign Victor Olofsson

The Calgary Flames are in the early stages of what is now appearing to be a full-fledged rebuild. Over the last two months, they have traded Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri. They’ve received just three NHLers in those deals in Zach Whitecloud, Olli Maatta, and Victor Olofsson.

What’s clear by these moves is that the Flames’ main focus, and rightfully so, was to add draft picks and prospects. The players, particularly Maatta and Olofsson, are believed to have been included in these deals for cap purposes. The same has been said about Ryan Strome, who was also acquired at the trade deadline from the Anaheim Ducks for a seventh-round draft pick.

There is certainly some validity to those opinions. After all, the Flames are a team who is looking towards the future. As part of that effort, general manager (GM) Craig Conroy has kept open plenty of cap space, which has made it no issue for the Flames to take some of these deals back.

Interestingly, of the players mentioned, only Olofsson is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2025-26 season. Whitecloud has an additional two seasons remaining on his contract, as does Maatta. Strome, meanwhile, has one more season left on his deal.

Given that Olofsson is 30-years-old, most have assumed that the Flames will let him walk at season’s end. You can certainly understand that perspective, as it helps open a roster spot for a younger player to step into the lineup next season. That said, it may not be as crazy as some would think to see Olofsson and the Flames work out a short-term extension.

Olofsson Could Become a Valued Asset

Prior to being traded by the Avs, Olofsson found himself with 10 goals and 25 points in 60 games. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland felt more than comfortable to ship him out in order to make room for Kadri. That said, a big part of his numbers came from a lack of opportunity.

Olofsson was playing just 13:20 through his lone season with the Avalanche. Ice time was tough to come by for the Swedish winger, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise given how loaded their lineup is from top to bottom.