Between his recent benching, being lined up in the bottom-six, and Matthew Savoie’s conditioning stint soon to be over, all signs point toward Victor Olofsson being the odd-man out in the Buffalo Sabres’ lineup. It’s been previously reported that the Sabres were looking to move Olofsson prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, though no trade came to fruition.
There are legitimate reasons to move on from Olofsson; between his goal-scoring acumen, his (mostly) reasonable cap hit, the Sabres’ logjam at forward – specifically on the wing – and Olofsson himself probably needing a reset, there should be no shortage of suitors should the Sabes aggressively pursue a trade. His shot is his greatest asset, and it’s most prevalent on the power play – something that several teams are in dire need of.
Without further ado, here are some potential trade destinations for the 28-year-old:
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have long been a team without a pure goal-scoring threat. To be clear, they have goal scoring ability in Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, and Teuvo Teravainen. On the same token, each of those players are better playmakers than pure goal scorers, and they’ve been considered a team much more reliant on their defensive game than their offensive production.
There’s no denying that the Hurricanes’ defensive depth is among, if not the best in the NHL. In terms of forwards, they do have some excellent defensive wingers in their bottom-six, where Olofsson would likely have to play, but the offense there outside of Necas is lackluster. If they were to improve their offense by giving Olofsson a fair shot on their third line, it would relegate long-term third liner Jordan Martinook to the fourth line.
Adding Olofsson would give the Hurricanes some much-needed sniper talent – as much as Corsi stats are significant in determining puck possession, and thus control of the game, it’s about high time that the Hurricanes started putting a few more of those shots in the back of the net. Olofsson would theoretically give them that goal-scoring spark.
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While the Hurricanes’ power play has been pretty good thus far into the season, ranking eighth in the league at 25%, there’s no denying that Olofsson is still a net positive – at least for the second unit. I doubt Olofsson wouldn’t be preferred over Stefan Noesen, especially considering the team lacks a bona fide triggerman. As for what the Sabres could expect in return from the Hurricanes, the necessary salary retention adds a small chunk of value coming back to Buffalo. I would expect a mid-to-late-round pick and a depth piece on defense. Something like Dylan Coghlan and a fifth-round pick would be fair value, keeping in mind that it would be a late fifth-round selection.
San Jose Sharks
If ever there was a team in need of some goal-scoring, it’s the San Jose Sharks. They rank dead last in goals scored, with just ten goals in as many games and their power play ranks 25th in the league, chugging along at just 12.5%, both of which are contributing to their 0-9-1 record. They’re averaging just 24.6 shots per game – also good for dead last in the NHL.
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Looking at their depth chart, Olofsson would likely cement himself in the top-six and first power play unit right off the bat, displacing one of Fabian Zetterlund or Luke Kunin. If not, the third line is a perfectly adequate spot for Olofsson and he’d find a spot on their first power play unit no matter what. The Sharks are in desperate need of help practically everywhere, and Olofsson is a nice piece to complement their lack of goal-scoring while possibly teaching the youngsters of the team a thing or two.
In terms of acquisition cost, the only thing of interest that the Sharks would be willing to part with would be a mid-round pick – they’re not going to give up any of their wealth of prospects nor is Olofsson worth a higher-end pick. As such, Olofsson for the Sharks’ fourth-round pick in 2024 would be a reasonable price to ask.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks, outside of Connor Bedard and their prospect pool, are an unthreatening team. They currently sit at 28th in the league, and that’s subject to lower when the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins get back up to speed. They’re scoring just 2.11 goals per game, also good for 28th. Looking at their lineup, it’s no wonder why.
In terms of composition, their 1-2 punch at center of Bedard and Reichel is all there is to threaten opposing goaltenders. Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Johnson are adequate complements to the center duo, but they really don’t have a non-Bedard goal-scoring threat. Olofsson would certainly change that, and would more likely than not slot into a top-six position and on the first power play unit.
Bedard, the would-be power play triggerman, has been playing more of a playmaker role on the man advantage rather than teeing off one-timers as he presumptively would. As such, having that role filled by Olofsson might prove advantageous for a power play that’s running at just over a nine percent clip through their first nine games. At the very least, that provides the Blackhawks with threats from both sides of the ice on their first unit.
Much like the Sharks, the Blackhawks are only in a position to deal a mid-round pick. Their prospect pool is deep and talented, but they’re likely more-than-tentative to give anyone up (as they should be). Because they’re rebuilding, they’re also unlikely to give up anything more than a fourth-round pick for the winger, which I would take.
Philadelphia Flyers
Finally, there’s the Philadelphia Flyers, who, much like the previous two entries on this list, need that extra oomph on the power play that Olofsson provides.
The Flyers have been a pleasant surprise this season, surprisingly leading the NHL in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at 57.66%, though the bulk of that number comes from their top-notch defense. Their power play, though, leaves quite a lot to be desired, sitting at 28th in the league (11.4%). Their underlying statistics aren’t any better, with their power play generating the third-worst expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF/60) in the league, at just 6.35. Enter Olofsson, who would provide the Flyers with the scoring threat that hasn’t really been there to start the year.
As with the Sharks and Blackhawks, the Flyers are – for all intents and purposes – in a rebuild despite their legitimately strong start. What the previous two lack, though, is tradeable NHL talent on defense. It’s no secret that the Sabres need help on their blue line, and the Flyers could be worthwhile trade partners. I could see something like Victor Mete and a sixth being a worthwhile endeavor for both sides.
Olofsson Will Likely Get Moved
I would anticipate a trade centering around Olofsson sooner rather than later. The current logjam at forward paired with Savoie’s likely call-up and Olofsson’s recent benching provide all the reasons to point at this being the verdict. Look for the Sabres to be active in trade talks, and look for these teams to be involved.
