Avs Acquire Dallas Forward

Fredrik Olofsson is an Av

In what is probably a depth move at best, the Avalanche today acquired left wing Fredrik Olofsson from the Dallas Stars for “future considerations.”

The 27-year-old, 6-2, 197-pound winger played 28 games for the Stars last season, scoring one goal and four points. He signed a one-year contract with the Avs, a two-way deal that would pay him $775,000 with the Avs and $350,000 if he played with the Colorado Eagles.

His agent is former Avs star Claude Lemieux, who told me this about his client:

“He grew up in Denver. Great kid, easy to talk to,” Lemieux said. “He was used in an offensive role in Sweden, but coming over last year he really changed his game to complement the need Dallas had to offer as a depth player, fourth line. He has good skills and showed in the two games he dressed vs. Vegas (in the playoffs) that he can have an impact with his speed and physical play.”

Olofsson played some youth hockey in Denver, for the Colorado Thunderbirds. I think this move signifies that someone from the Avs’ UFA forward group won’t be back. Assuming Darren Helm retires, the player is likely either Matt Nieto or Andrew Cogliano. I would bet that Nieto would be more likely to go.

Here are Olofsson’s career stats: https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=161711.

Here is the Avs’ team release on Olofsson:

Olofsson, 27, split the 2022-23 season between the Dallas Stars and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars.  He appeared in the first 28 games of his NHL career, tallying four points (1g/3a).  The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left wing made his NHL debut on Dec. 27 at Nashville and scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 31 vs. San Jose.  Olofsson also skated in two Stanley Cup Playoff contests for Dallas.  He dressed in 37 AHL games for Texas, notching 14 points (5g/9a).

Prior to signing with the Stars, Oloffson spent the previous three years playing in Sweden including the last two years in the Swedish Hockey League for Oskarshamn.  He totaled 76 points (28g/48a) in 100 career SHL outings. Olofsson was selected by Chicago in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Born in Helsingborg, Sweden, Olofsson grew up in the Denver area where he played his minor hockey for the Colorado Thunderbirds program.  He then spent three seasons in the USHL from 2013-15, recording 81 points (33g/48a) in 117 career contests with the Green Bay Gamblers and Chicago Steel before enrolling at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2015.  Olofsson played four seasons at Omaha, notching 95 points (35g/60a) in 137 NCAA outings and serving as an alternate captain in his final campaign.  Following his senior season, he made his pro debut with Rockford (AHL) at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Internationally, Olofsson competed for Team Sweden at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, where he had one assist in six contests (0g/1a).