The Colorado Avalanche are still fine-tuning their roster for the 2025-2026 campaign. Nabbing winger Victor Olofsson off the market this week has once again made Colorado the focus of a sleepy period of the offseason.
When the first rumblings of an imminent signing emerged on Wednesday evening, I was only lukewarm on the prospect. But upon digging deeper, I've quickly come around to the opinion that it was not only a good kind of risk, but more savvy than one might assume.
That's because Olofsson is multi-faceted insurance for a contender with the highest of expectations. On one hand, the club could be adding a potentially lethal weapon on the power play. Olofsson's bread and butter is a nasty one-timer that could make Colorado's top power play unit a juggernaut.
If the coaching staff opts to spread the talent into two separate power play units, Olofsson could certainly be a welcome anchor for the second group. Before I see a game or five I'm not sure which route I would prefer in all candor.
With additions like Olofsson and Brent Burns, the front office is showing that versatility on special teams is a top priority. Both players have experience and specific skills that should result in more rebounds and shot creativity.
When an offensive assistant is fired for inconsistency on the man-advantage, this is exactly the type of shakeup one should expect. The impact of new assistant Dave Hakstol is as yet undefined. But if these signings are aimed at making his job easier, all the better.
Why I was initially skeptical about the Colorado Avalanche signing Victor Olofsson
Clearly, the Avalanche have a plan. My questions about Olofsson are about his durability and stylistic fit when it comes to 5-on-5 hockey. It is true that the 30 year old Swedish winger has injury history. In seven years as a pro, Olofsson has never played a full season.
Maybe that's a harsh standard to set. I'll never pretend the game isn't grueling. But by the numbers, Olofsson has only logged over 70 games played twice. If you take out his rookie year in Buffalo, where he played spot-duty, the remaining four seasons all have his games played somewhere in the 50's. That includes last season while he was with Vegas, and logged 56 games.
Let us not forget that Colorado was on the hunt for bottom-six help in part because of a second-straight offseason that involved hip surgery for Logan O'Connor. In addition to that reality, captain Gabriel Landeskog is finally back after a lengthy absence that left many wondering if he would ever play again.
As wonderful as it was to see Landeskog back, and looking remarkably good in the postseason, questions about his knee remain. Everyone in the fandom understands what Landeskog's health means to this squad.
Yet, perhaps this addition is subtly the same issue. If Colorado has to play a load-management strategy already, Olofsson might in fact be extra valuable. He's a player who could drift up the lineup when needed, and also seems less prone to becoming a ghost offensively if he misses some time.
If Colorado gets the best out of Victor Olofsson and he gives them 35-40 points or even more, that's fantastic depth value. However, if the fit is bad for the club. he can still be a second type of insurance to general manager Chris MacFarland.
Olofsson's trade value is a safety valve
Even in a worst case scenario, aside from long-term injury, Olofsson is a good risk. The contract hit of almost $1.6 million is a bit higher than I wanted, but certainly reasonable. Immediately following the news of the deal, I saw two reports of other teams‘ disappointment on missing out.
Those two organizations were Vancouver and Toronto. I'm willing to bet Olofsson had plenty more suitors on the phone with his agent Claude Lemieux. Yup, you read that right - Olofsson is represented by ex-Avalanche great Claude Lemieux.
If you want even more Colorado connections to endear you to their newest acquisition, you might like the fact that he is a MODO Hockey alumni. That is the original Swedish home of none other than Peter Forsberg.
As much as I hate imagining things not working out for any new Avalanche player, it's comforting to know that Olofsson was highly sought after. In similar contracts we have seen in recent years, there are two relevant comparisons to be made.
First, you have the example of Evan Rodrigues, who worked out. Rodrigues came to the Avalanche and outperformed his 1-year deal. After that, he secured a much better contract for himself in Florida, where he has contributed admirably to two Stanley Cup wins. He has proven depth value that led me to muse on a possible reunion.
On the less sunny side of the ledger, you have the case of Tomas Tatar. Tatar was seemingly snakebit in an Avalanche sweater. The guy couldn't buy a goal in 26 games despite being so close. Tatar finally notched a single tally in game 27, and was promptly shipped to Seattle. Colorado got back a fifth round pick in the trade.
Surely you never expect a poor fit. Yet this organization is willing to make a tough call quickly, especially if the money invested is moderate to small. Olofsson's contract is one that could be pretty easily flipped in my view—Either for a pick or player.
I was interested to see Toronto specifically as a team with interest in the veteran winger. This is because they also have a wing that interests me. For each of the last two seasons there was rumored interest from the Avalanche in Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson.
Now, keep in mind I am not advocating for this winger-for-winger swap. However, the possibility is an intriguing safety valve idea if it comes to that. Robertson is not the offensive weapon that Olofsson has proven to be yet. But nor is he just Jason Robertson's less-renowned brother.
Robertson is a ferocious forechecker with quality two-way skills. He's only 23 with lots of time left to develop. If Colorado has to make a move midseason, they could snag Robertson, or someone like him and salvage a signing gone sour.
All Avalanche fans are hopeful they'll soon be yelling "Goalofsson". But nothing in the NHL is a sure bet. That's why it’s best to make moves like this whenever possible.