Maple Leafs Miss Out on Free Agent Scoring Forward Who Would Have Fit in Well in Toronto

As we enter the doldrums of summer, there were a few intriguing free agents still remaining on the market that could have made quite an impact for the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially on low-risk deals.

One of those forwards was Victor Olofsson, who is a 3-time 20-goal scorer, and was coming off of a season in which he tallied 15 goals in just 56 games for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, the Swedish goal scorer opted to sign a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, which bolstered their offense on a very low-risk-high-reward type deal.

The 30-year-old was an instrumental piece for the Buffalo Sabres during 2019 and 2023, having scored 81 goals and 163 points across 257 games. He struggled in 2023-24, which ultimately led to his exit, before signing in Vegas.

With the Knights, he was able to gel with a more loaded offense, and in return, showed up with 15 goals and 29 points in 56 regular season games, as well as 2 goals and 4 points in 9 playoff contests.

Olofsson would have been a great fit for the Leafs, especially when factoring in his previous relationship with William Nylander, when they played together for several years in the junior circuits in Sweden.

Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs have a log jam of forwards and to bring someone in, they have to move someone out, and it doesn't seem like too many teams are interested in the likes of Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf.

Considering the timing of the signing, Olofsson will be going to Colorado on low term and AAV, giving it the perfect mix of risk and reward. With the Avalanche, Olofsson will be surrounded by immense talent and should be eyeing another 20-goal season, which should come in handy if he walks as a free agent next summer.