Maple Leafs Free Agent Target Taken Off Market as Avalanche Move In
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
The Toronto Maple Leafs are out of luck if they wanted to sign Victor Olofsson, as the Colorado Avalanche made a deal with the free agent forward for 2025-26.
Well, if the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to add to their lineup this summer, they are going to have to make a move soon, and whether it involves moving David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, or making a play in free agency for someone like Jack Roslovic; they have options but not much wiggle room.
One free agent who would be a great addition is Victor Olofsson, who was looking to bounce back after a rough year in Vegas and could have had some chemistry with former Golden Knight Nicolas Roy.
Maple Leafs Lose Out on a Depth Scoring Option
However, he's been swiped off the market by the Colorado Avalanche fairly late on Tuesday evening, taking one of the premier names left in free agency out of the running.
The news was announced by Puckpedia on social media, and we are just waiting for the official confirmation from the Avalanche's side of things.
Terms of the deal are unknown at this time.
Olofsson, 30, had 29 points in 56 games last season for Vegas (15 goals, 14 assists) but does have three 20-goal seasons in his time with Buffalo. For his career, he has 211 points in 370 games (105 goals, 106 assists) with the Sabres and Golden Knights.
Avalanche Bolster Their Offense With Olofsson
The Avalanche are trying to bolster their lineup as best they can ahead of the 2025-26 season, and bringing in Olofsson will no doubt add some much needed secondary offense to a team who is already filled with talent.
Nathan MacKinnon will be his usual self, the team gets a full year (hopefully) out of Gabriel Landeskog, they have Cale Makar running the back end, and players like Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas, and Brock Nelson are all going to be impactful.
In the ever difficult Central Division, the Avalanche need as much help as possible to face off against the likes of Winnipeg, Dallas, and Minnesota so bringing in a cheap and reliable player like Olofsson makes perfect sense for GM Chris MacFarland.
You aren't going to get much physicality or defense from Olofsson, and he is best used in a bottom-six role or could be a great middle-nine option should he have a bit of defensive protection.
For the Avalanche it's a great signing that might end up flying under the radar and paying off in a big way, but for the Maple Leafs it just means they have even less time to beef their lineup up before October 8th.
