What is Olofsson's role in the 2023/24 Sabres?

[LGR4GM]

This is in another thread but what do we expect from him?

I'll go 23.5 goals 20.5 assists. I think yes a spotty 3rd line player who I'd move on from if possible. If he stays this year, fine but I'm not re-signing him. 

[Believer]

Hey, LGR4GM…

As I understand it, Olofsson wants to be here, and he is well liked in the locker room… 

Your numbers sound right… Our defense and goaltending should be better, so his two-way play and +/- will benefit.

Lot of studs looking for a roster spot… He’ll need to compete hard and have a good camp.

And Adams can always surprise us with a trade package… 

But I expect Olofsson to be here and to have a good year, moving between 3-4 lines, and the PP.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Believer

[GASabresIUFAN]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This is in another thread but what do we expect from him?

I'll go 23.5 goals 20.5 assists. I think yes a spotty 3rd line player who I'd move on from if possible. If he stays this year, fine but I'm not re-signing him. 

 I see you are upgrading him from hot garbage to a spotty 3rd line player.  

I expect to see a player giving everything on every shift this year as he knows he is working to earn a FA contract by year's end.  I expect a player who makes hay on the 2nd PP and fills in on the 1st PP when needed.  I also expect a better 2-way game this season.  I expect to top 50 points this season.  

 

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 I see you are upgrading him from hot garbage to a spotty 3rd line player.  

I expect to see a player giving everything on every shift this year as he knows he is working to earn a FA contract by year's end.  I expect a player who makes hay on the 2nd PP and fills in on the 1st PP when needed.  I also expect a better 2-way game this season.  I expect to top 50 points this season.  

 

Again, you claimed he was the best forward on the roster in 2021 and I said no chance in hell he was. He's always been a spotty 3rdline guy who I think will be invisible in the playoffs. I haven't upgraded him at all, I'd trade him if I could. 

I don't see a 50pt player. 

[Thorny]

He’s a likely 40 point guy who conceivably hits 50 with healthy, maybe even 60 with health + PP time. He’ll have to improve his 2-way game to be a net positive on line 3, regardless 

Quinn injury granted him a reprieve. We’ll see what he does with it. 

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

He’s a likely 40 point guy who conceivably hits 50 with healthy, maybe even 60 with health + PP time. He’ll have to improve his 2-way game to be a net positive on line 3, regardless 

Quinn injury granted him a reprieve. We’ll see what he does with it. 

I don't believe he's a 50pt player, a 60pt year or pacing for that would have me trade him asap. It would be a massive anomaly or outlier. I just can't see him ever being that.

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I don't believe he's a 50pt player, a 60pt year or pacing for that would have me trade him asap. It would be a massive anomaly or outlier. I just can't see him ever being that.

Well, that’s why I said he’s a 40 point guy. Who could HIT 50. You really can’t see him ever hitting it? 

I mean he hit 49 two seasons ago, 50 would def seem in range.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorny]

He did pace for 64 points in 19-20. So, he’s already accomplished that pacing outlier

but, again, this more so serves my point from the other day about how the dismissal of Jack’s 19-20 is revisionist. VO was so good/notched an outlier season that year because he played with a guy having an MVP quality breakout season. Certainly can’t expect VO to replicate that moving forward. But 50 is there. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Well, that’s why I said he’s a 40 point guy. Who could HIT 50. You really can’t see him ever hitting it? 

I mean he hit 49 two seasons ago, 50 would def seem in range.

2 seasons ago he got more ice time and more pp1 time. I don't see that repeating 

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

2 seasons ago he got more ice time and more pp1 time. I don't see that repeating 

Sorry, I think I was mentally reverting back to what we’d be selling him as, as being able to do on a new team 

on buffalo I agree I don’t really see 60. 50 though considering Quinn tbh you’d know better if this’ll grant VO more PP time this year. I’m worried about L3

Edited July 15, 2023 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

He did pace for 64 points in 19-20. So, he’s already accomplished that pacing outlier

but, again, this more so serves my point from the other day about how the dismissal of Jack’s 19-20 is revisionist. VO was so good/notched an outlier season that year because he played with a guy having an MVP quality breakout season. Certainly can’t expect VO to replicate that moving forward. But 50 is there. 

Jack is a good hockey player. VO that year has 18min of toi versus the 14 he gets now. 

Just now, Thorny said:

Sorry, I think I was mentally reverting back to what we’d be selling him as, as being able to do on a new team 

on buffalo I agree I don’t really see 60. 50 though considering Quinn tbh you’d know better of this’ll grant VO more PP time this year. I’m worried about L3

I think vo on the pp1 is the only way and I'd never play him there. He's a bad facilitator. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I don't believe he's a 50pt player, a 60pt year or pacing for that would have me trade him asap. It would be a massive anomaly or outlier. I just can't see him ever being that.

Well you project him at 44 pts.  Is it really such a leap that if he plays better 2 way hockey this season he’ll hit 50 pts?   

By the way my claim was he was our best forward in the second half that season.  That may have been somewhat hyperbole, but he had 26 pts (13g) with a +1, in his last 34 games, including 14 pts in the last 13 games at +4.  He looked like he had turned the corner.  This past season, he struggled defensively, but still managed a career high 28 goals.  There aren’t many teams who can say that possibly their 9th best forward is capable of scoring 28 goal without 1st pp time.

[Buffalonill]

Hopefully  not in buffalo

Edited July 15, 2023 by Buffalonill

[Porous Five Hole]

VO has been a good soldier, is well liked, and deserved his current contract at the time.
With that said, I expect him to be traded to the Coyotes or waived.

I think he is the 13th forward and the only reason he is with the Sabres is due to injury.

I know he fits in the NHL, but not on this team. He’s been passed by the kids and his style of play isn’t tenacious enough to warrant the roster spot. 
 

If more injuries come, then he will stick around as a PP specialist and be last of the forward group in ice time.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

Is a guy who scored 21 EV goals and only 7 PP goals last season really only a PP specialist?

VO will start the season on 2nd PP and the wing of the 2nd or 3rd line depending on what works in camp, with the 3rd line the most likely outcome.  He’ll play 14 to 17 minutes a game depending on PP time and if he is better defensively.  The real question regarding VO is what will his role be once Quinn gets healthy?  The answer is up to VO.  If he succeeds at becoming a better two way player, I can see Mitts returning to center the 3rd line, sending Krebs to 4th line center and Jost to the bench assuming everyone is healthy.  If forwards are injured, VO likely keeps his role.  

Edited July 16, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Marvin]

27 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Is a guy who scored 21 EV goals and only 7 PP goals last season really only a PP specialist?

VO will start the season on 2nd PP and the wing of the 2nd or 3rd line depending on what works in camp, with the 3rd line the most likely outcome.  He’ll play 14 to 17 minutes a game depending on PP time and if he is better defensively.  The real question regarding VO is what will his role be once Quinn gets healthy?  The answer is up to VO.  If he succeeds at become a better two way player, I can see Mitts returning to center the 3rd line, sending Krebs to 4th line center and Jost to the bench assuming everyone is healthy.  If forwards are injured, VO likely keeps his role.  

He is not a PP specialist, but he has been bad at even strength 2 years running.  I imagine that there is no market for him.  I do not know what should be done with him in the event that he is not traded.

[Doohickie]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

what do we expect from him?

Trade bait either now or later.

[Carmel Corn]

Rinse and repeat.  I foresee a 3rd liner with extra PP time.  He'll hit 25 goals to help his next UFA contract value with at least 10 of them on the PP.   As in the past, no PK time.  I don't see a trade due to Quinn's injury plus most teams have no cap.  

[French Collection]

I do not like VO’s game but I am willing to give him a shot while Quinn is out. Someone might beat him out at camp and I would be good with that. The only thing I like is his goal scoring and the associated song.

He scored 28 goals but the 50 odd games in which he didn’t score were painful to watch. His effort to backcheck is low, he doesn’t forecheck well, he doesn’t work the wall very well, his passing is below average and he can’t get the puck over the blue line in the D zone. His compete level is the lowest on the team, probably why DG benched him to end the season.

He is a PP shooter and can do that well but he lacks creativity on the PP when the shot isn’t there. He is basically one half of Ovie on the PP, just stand in your spot and fire pucks.

I doubt he will channel Yzerman and find his defensive game at 27-28. Unless he has a great season he will probably not be extended so he will probably be moved at the deadline after Quinn returns.

I don’t think Kulich is ready but that is the guy who will take over VO’s spot eventually. Kulich is already as big as VO, he just needs to adjust to NHL speed and processing. Bonus, he can play W and C.

[LGR4GM]

Do you want VO taking a regular shift when this team makes the playoffs?

[Doohickie]

55 minutes ago, French Collection said:

His effort to backcheck is low, he doesn’t forecheck well, he doesn’t work the wall very well, his passing is below average and he can’t get the puck over the blue line in the D zone. His compete level is the lowest on the team, probably why DG benched him to end the season.

And yet... all these things are coachable.  If he wants to stick with the team, or at least stay in the NHL, he better start listening to coaches.

[Doohickie]

31 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Do you want VO taking a regular shift when this team makes the playoffs?

If he listens to coaches and becomes a more complete player, sure.  He showed signs of it prior to his injury but I think any progress he made was lost with the injury and perhaps the coaches wanted him to concentrate on getting his shot back, I don't know.  But assuming he's fully healthy in the fall I hope they push him back toward playing a more complete game.

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Do you want VO taking a regular shift when this team makes the playoffs?

He won't have to. Quinn will be back in the lineup when the playoffs start.

If VO slots in for Quinn with JJP/Cozens or on a Mitts-Greenway line, he'll be a finisher. I'd expect him to have 12-18 goals by the time Quinn is back in the lineup. Probably on PP2.

Defensively, the key for VO is having a little more oomph and aggession to battle, another year of growth from his various kid centers in their own zone (Cozens, Thompson, Krebs), and not being on the ice at the same time as Bryson ever again.

[JohninMinn.]

VO is a natural goal scorer with above average skating ability. He's had a year to work on the back check. All the hate here is unwarranted. I'm expecting a +25 year.

[Night Train]

Ex-Sabre is his role.