The Colorado Avalanche are expected to announce a notable signing within the next day or so. Multiple outlets are reporting that Victor Olofsson will be signing with the Avalanche for this upcoming season.
Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reported that Olofsson will be heading to Colorado on a one-year deal. Financial terms remain unclear, but the deal is expected to come in around $800K. Considering the Avalanche have a smidge over $2 million in cap space, a deal ranging from $800K to $1 million would seem reasonable.
Olofsson played last season with the Vegas Golden Knights. He appeared in 56 games, scoring 15 goals and 29 points. He signed a one-year deal in Vegas worth $1.075 million after spending parts of six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.
Olofsson had signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal with the Sabres, but fell off the radar after a tough 2023-24 season. So, Olofsson will be looking to get his career back on track in Colorado. Olofsson is a three-time 20-goal scorer, notching a career high of 28 in 2022-23 with the Sabres.
The 30-year-old Swede was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He made the NHL heading into the 2018-19 season, scoring 20 goals and 42 points in his first full season in Buffalo.
How Olofsson fits into Colorado Avalanche lineup
As I’ve discussed in earlier posts, the Colorado Avalanche have an evident lack of depth in their bottom six. In particular, the third line looks a little uncertain with Daniil Gushchin currently slated as the left winger. While Olofsson isn’t necessarily an upgrade over Gushchin, he does provide depth.
Moreover, the fourth liner looks somewhat iffy with Ivan Ivan and Joel Kiviranta on the wings. Assuming Kiviranta continues last year’s trend, Olofsson could be a good fit on the left side with Parker Kelly.
There are some injury concerns regarding Olofsson. He spent some time on LTIR last season with a lower-body injury. So, fans shouldn’t expect Olofsson to be a mainstay throughout the season.
But if he can dress for 50-some-odd games as part of the club’s bottom six, the Avalanche would feel they get their money’s worth.
Additionally, fans shouldn’t expect a 20-goal season from Olofsson at this point. If he’s fully healthy and plays over 70 games, it could happen. The likeliest outcome would be Olofsson getting 10 to 12 minutes a night on the third line or sub-10 minutes on the fourth line.
It’s unlikely the Avalanche see Olofsson as a 13th forward. He’ll get every chance to make the team, though his role might not be fully clear at this point.
Overall, Victor Olofsson could be a solid value signing for the Avalanche, that is, assuming he can stay healthy and contribute. But even if he can’t, he’ll be a good low-risk signing. In the worst of cases, he’ll end up on waivers at no real risk to the club.