3 offseason moves the Buffalo Sabres might already regret

1. Not shopping Victor Olofsson hard enough

The Sabres currently have two forwards in the AHL who could be prolific scorers in Buffalo, but by not trading Victor Olofsson, the front office has been forced to hold them both down in the minors. Meanwhile, Olofsson has struggled in his 13 games played so far this season, having scored just five points, two goals, and three assists. 

Olofsson is also averaging a career-low 11 minutes and 52 seconds of ice time per game, so it shows you that the Sabres have little trust in a player who found the net 28 times last year. It initially looked like they were trading Olofsson in the offseason, but his AAV of $4.75 million likely scared off a few teams. 

While Olofsson’s number of goals in 2022-23 were impressive, scoring was all he was capable of, and he offered little help elsewhere. However, if the Sabres just traded him for little compensation while retaining part of his contract, they likely would have opened the door for Jiri Kulich, who is tied for second in the AHL with 11 goals.

Isak Rosen, who is tied for third with 18 points, would also have been a possibility. Perhaps they can find a trading partner for Olofsson by the trade deadline and recall one of their two star forwards in Rochester.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and theAHL.com)