Colorado Avalance place Fredrik Olofsson on waivers

The Colorado Avalanche has sent winger Fredrik Olofsson down to the minors by placing him on waivers on Saturday.

There doesn’t seem to be any particular reason that Olofsson, 27, is on waivers in terms of requiring space for their roster. It’s likely that it’s either to give the team roster flexibility as the trade deadline approaches and Olofsson’s performance of late. Considering that he also has a 12-game pointless streak and just one point in his last 23 games, the latter of those two is more likely the case.

Olofsson has found himself producing more than his debut season in 2022-23, as he has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 55 games. All of those totals are career highs for the Helsingborg, Sweden native, although it comes in almost twice the games played.

Part of his struggles with offense is his goal-scoring, as he’s one of the worst players in the league in terms of goals. Since entering the league in 2022-23, his 0.29 goals per 60 minutes is the fourth-worst rate amongst forwards with at least 800 minutes of ice time.

Olofsson was a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Draft, although he never signed an entry-level contract, instead signing an amateur tryout contract to play two games with their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. After three seasons playing in Sweden, he signed with the Dallas Stars in 2022 in free agency, spending one season there before his signing rights were traded to Avalanche in the 2023 offseason for future considerations.

Olofsson is currently on a one-year, $750,000 contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.

The Avalanche currently sit in third in the Central Division with an 35-18-5 record. They will look to bounce back from their loss to the Detroit Red Wings when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.