Kraken Sign Defenseman Gustav Olofsson

When Kraken ownership committed to hiring General Manager Ron Francis two summers ago, the intention was to provide ample time to build a scouting and hockey analytics staff to evaluate professional and amateur players.
That preparation, evident in a whirlwind past month, continues to pay off as the team announced signing NHL-tested free agent defenseman Gustav Olofsson Wednesday. The two-way, one-year contract is for $750,000 average annual value (AAV) paying the higher salary for NHL appearances and a lower salary for AHL games logged.

Olofsson, 26, has played at three levels of hockey, NCAA (Division I Colorado College), American Hockey League and NHL, since he was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the second round (46th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He played 56 games for Minnesota over three seasons, including 41 appearances in 2017-18.
"Gustav is a smart, two-way defenseman," said Francis. "We believe his size and willingness to play with physicality matches the style we want to play and are happy he is joining our blue line."
The 6-3, 200 Swede adds to the formidable physical size of the Kraken defensive corps and certainly represents depth on the blue line for an 82-game NHL season. Since his trade to Montreal in October 2018, Olofsson has mostly played for AHL Laval Rocket, contributing productive seasons as a reliable defenseman who can join the offensive attack by making plays and passes to set up goals.
Olofsson made his NHL debut as a 20-year-old in November 2015, a year after helping lead his native Sweden to a silver medal at the 2014 World Junior Championship as the squad's highest scoring defenseman.
The left-shooting defenseman has played 203 AHL games with the Iowa Wild and Laval Rocket, totaling 11 goals and 60 assists.