Emergence of Young Sabres Could Make Victor Olofsson a Trade Candidate

Despite failing to qualify for the 2023 post-season, the Buffalo Sabres made significant improvement this season. The emergence of young scoring forwards such as Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt, along with promising Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka also in the lineup, bodes well for their playoff hopes in 2023-24.

That plethora of talented forwards could also make Victor Olofsson the odd man out.

Olofsson, 27, tallied a career-high 28 goals and also netted 40 points, marking the third time in his five-season NHL career that he's reached or exceeded the 20-goal and 40-point plateaus. However, The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn wondered what the future holds for the Sabres' left winger.

Despite Olofsson's numbers this season, Fairburn noted that his game was too streaky, and he wasn't reliable enough to garner a full-time role during the final month of the season. CapFriendly indicates that his annual salary is $4.75 million, and he's eligible next summer to become a UFA.

Fairburn suggested the Sabres could improve their lineup by replacing Olofsson on their third line. However, he wondered what value he might have on the trade market.

The Sabres could be seeking an experienced goaltender this summer to mentor promising Devon Levi next season. They could also use some reliable veteran depth on their blueline.

Perhaps Olofsson will be used as a trade chip to land a goalie or defenseman from a club in need of a scoring forward. Failing that, he might fetch a second-round pick or a decent prospect that the Sabres could bundle into a separate deal to address one of their roster needs.