The Buffalo Sabres will have to hope Michael Frolik adds some immediate offense, as Victor Olofsson will be out for the next five to six weeks after suffering a lower-body injury.
For a team like Buffalo who has plummeted in the standings after a strong start and can’t seem to score goals on a regular basis, losing a young sniper is a tough pill to swallow. The team ranks 19th in the league in goals for, not nearly good enough to compete in the high-flying Atlantic Division. Olofsson has 16 of those goals, good for second on the team behind Jack Eichel, and has been the team’s primary shooter on the powerplay.
It’s clear Frolik will help this team, but the Sabres are still after more improvements up front after yesterday’s deals. The question will be who else they move from the blueline to accommodate it, as the swaps didn’t end up in any additional cap space.
Olofsson’s timeline puts him returning in the middle of February, with time to spare before this year’s deadline. Hopefully everything in his recovery goes according to plan and he will feel like an addition for the stretch run.