Victor Olofsson, for one reason or another, ran out of runway with the Buffalo Sabres. Now, the opportunity to play with one of the NHL’s best centers on one of the league’s perennial contenders has been laid upon his table.
Olofsson has spent all Golden Knights training camp on the right side of Jack Eichel.
It should be noted that Olofsson was fishing in chummed waters in terms of center selection when he signed with Vegas this offseason. Whether it be Eichel, William Karlsson or Tomas Hertl, the 29-year-old Swede was going to find himself in elite company.
Eichel and left winger Ivan Barbashev have played together since the latter came over in a deadline trade late in the 22-23 Stanley Cup season. Barbashev says Olofsson is nicely fitting in.
“It’s been great and getting better every day,” said Barbashev, who scored 19 goals and 45 points last season. “We’re trying to build chemistry and we’re getting more and more. (Tuesday) in practice was really good. We made a lot of nice plays and (Olofsson) can finish. He can really shoot and his release is quick. He can skate, he has vision and like I said, he can shoot.”
Olofsson played parts of six seasons with the Sabres scoring 90 goals and 182 points over 314 games. He became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and Vegas was one of the first teams to call.
“It was exciting, a team like this who has had the success they had in the past, my thought coming into free agency was signing with a team that was going to be a good fit and a good team. When the Golden Knights showed interest, it was an easy choice. I ended up signing quickly. It turned out really good and I am really excited to be here,” said Olofsson, who has scored 20 or more goals in three NHL seasons. “I got a call from my agent around 1:30 a.m. I was asleep and he woke me up to tell me about the team’s interest. It felt like an hour later, and it was all done. It felt quick. Like I said with the success they had, it was a no-brainer for me. Right after I signed, Jack called and welcomed me to the team. He told me about the place and how he loves it here. So far, he has been right. It has been a good four weeks here settling in.”
Olofsson scored 28 goals two seasons ago before dipping to seven markers last campaign. Eichel says all the good qualities are still right there.
“He fits our game super well. He’s got a super good hockey IQ and a great set of hands. He’s a great shooter. He is pretty easy to read off of and easy to play with. Those are the first things that stand out to me,” said Eichel.
“Barbs and I have played together for quite a while now. Olofsson is someone I have played in the past with. I think the tendencies for him and I can be picked up quickly. Having played together for an extended amount of time, the ability to communicate, to understand what he likes and what I like. I think we complement each other well. Every time you get out there for practice and anytime you are working together as a unit, it’s a good opportunity for you to build your game and build that chemistry.”
Veteran center and Swede William Karlsson has often been the only player from his country in the Golden Knights dressing room. Olofsson, Alexander Holtz and Robert Hagg make it four Swedes with the club right now.
“Yeah, we acquired three of us Swedes here this offseason. It is fun. It is always fun to have some fellow Swedish players. I hope Karlsson feels that way, it’s his team,” said Olofsson. “I have known Robert Hagg since we played together since junior hockey. With Alexander Holtz, we played a little bit together on the national team. It is nice to have them here.”
Olofsson is known for his shot and the fact he has an elite one-timer as well as a heavy and quick wrist shot.
“I feel like I have always been a good goal scorer. I have been good at finding the open net on the goalies and I feel like when I got into the high school years my shot got a little bit better. I got stronger. I have always been a small guy, when I put some muscle on, I got some power behind my shot,” Olofsson said. “I always tell the story when I was growing up I had my dad as my coach and he forbid me and my older brother to take slap shots. He would tell me I won’t have time as a winger to do a lot of slap shots. He would have us work on our wrist shots, that’s basically all that me and my brother did growing up. Always working on the wrist shot. I think it turned out pretty good. One of the things I’ve worked on as a pro is my one-timer and I feel like it has become a weapon too.”
Olofsson slid down the Sabres lineup last season and he says it impacted his confidence.
“Last year, I did not have a good year. Definitely played a different role than I did in the past. My minutes were down more than I was used to. Felt like I lost a little bit of my confidence with the puck,” said Olofsson. “That is natural when you aren’t playing as many minutes. I have been working on just being more confident with the puck and I have been feeling really good so far.”
There are many differences between the team in Vegas and the one in Buffalo. The Sabres never qualified for the playoffs during his stay there. The Golden Knights have qualified six times in seven seasons.
“I watched Jack win the Stanley Cup here and it was so cool. He works so hard; he did in Buffalo and he does here. He’s always out late working on his game,” said Olofsson. “That is what I want to do obviously. That was something I was looking forward to doing in free agency. To go to a really good team and this felt like a really good fit. We have a lot of work to do but I’m looking forward to it.”
