Buffalo Sabers unlikely to re-sign Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson

After failing to make the playoffs for the 13th straight season, the Buffalo Sabers are expected to change their secondary scoring options this summer. According to David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, the Sabers should not offer contracts to pending unrestricted free agents Victor Olofsson Or Zemgus Girgensons.

The reported news regarding Olofsson comes as no surprise, as the forward has seen his playing time steadily reduced since the end of the 2019-20 NHL season. A reliable scoring option in years past, Olofsson reached the 20-goal mark three times in six years with the Sabers organization, but he is known for his poor defensive play as well as his play away from the puck. Having played 314 games with Buffalo, Olofsson scored 90 goals and 92 assists, with 33.5% of his production coming from the Sabres’ power play.

Girgensons, on the other hand, has been a consistent defensive-minded forward in Buffalo over the past decade. Drafted by the Sabers organization with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Girgensons played nearly 700 games with Buffalo, scoring 89 goals and 188 points while being a quality penalty killer.

Throughout his tenure with the Sabres, Girgensons has gone through several ups and downs, playing under five different head coaches since his rookie season. On the open market, Girgensons will struggle to earn more than his current AAV of $2.5 million, but should be able to find a spot on almost any team’s fourth line.

Letting Girgensons and Olofsson pursue greener pastures this summer, coupled with the departure of the Sabers from Casey Mittelstadt And Kyle Okposo At this year’s trade deadline, it’s clear that Buffalo is looking to rethink its forward core. The organization has plenty of potential talent at the forward position and should now have the flexibility to fill the holes in any way they can.