The Philadelphia Flyers need to work on their roster ahead of 2024-25. They don't need to be Stanley Cup contenders by any means but they need to be competitive again.
Taking a step back after choking away their playoff spot this season won't be a good look. They should look to the free-agent market to help them with their depth.
One player who can help them is Victor Oloffson. He has been a 20-goal scorer in three of the past five seasons, including a 28-goal 2022-23 campaign. All five years of his NHL career have come with the Buffalo Sabres.
Like most Sabres players, he had a down year in 2023-24. He had seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 51 games played. That also came in a limited role (he averaged 11:34 of ice time per game which is well below his career average of 15:27).
The Philadelphia Flyers could be the team that lands Victor Oloffson next
On Wednesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Oloffson will be testing the UFA market this summer. He is ready to move on from the Sabres and join a new team.
A change of scenery would be good for him. We know what he is capable of and that ceiling would help the Philadelphia Flyers. He can make plays, score goals, and has some experience in the NHL now. All of those things would be beneficial for this young Flyers team.
You can bet that a lot of teams are going to be all-in on this guy once the summer comes around. The Flyers have room enough to make it happen but he has to want to be a Flyer.
He is going to be entering his age 29 season next year so there is a lot of good hockey left in his tank. With the down year that he had, he might be cost-efficient too. This has a chance to be a very smart move for any team that takes that risk.