Maple Leafs Could Look to Sign Former 20-Goal Scorer with Close Ties to William Nylander

With how the off-season has begun, the Toronto Maple Leafs have found themselves between a rock and a hard place. While they've added Matias Maccelli, Michael Pezzetta, and Nicolas Roy, they need more offensive firepower to make up for the loss of Mitch Marner.

While the free agent pool has dwindled since July 1st, there remains a few pieces that could interest the Maple Leafs, including former 20-goal scoring winger Victor Olofsson.

The 7th round pick from the 2014 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres has scored 20+ goals on three separate occasions and is currently seeking a new home after not having been retained by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, Olofsson scored 81 goals and 163 points in 257 games, which included a career-high 28 tallies in 2022-23. He struggled in 2023-24, which led him to signing a deal with Vegas in the summer of 2024.

The 29-year-old dealt with some injuries but still managed 15 goals and 29 points in 56 regular season games, while also adding 2 goals and 4 points in 9 post-season contests.

What would make this signing even more interesting are his ties with fellow Maple Leaf star, William Nylander. They were both drafted in 2014 and had played together for MoDo Jr. in 2013-14 and for MODO Hockey Ornskoldsvik in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Pairing him up next to Nylander could work out wonderfully for the Maple Leafs, who are still searching for a top-6 winger. If Maccelli finds his way on the top-line with Auston Matthews, then a player like Olofsson could slide onto the second line with Nylander and John Tavares.

It would be a low-risk, high-reward move, especially if Olofsson comes in on a low-term deal. The Maple Leafs have over $5.3 million in cap space and that number could jump up if they find a suitor for Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf.

Olofsson has a great track record and would help the Leafs with their secondary scoring woes. Bringing him in at this juncture of the off-season would also give them a leg up heading into training camp, where he could further establish his chemistry with Nylander.