The Vegas Golden Knights took care of business Tuesday night, easily defeating the Seattle Kraken 6-2 and doing plenty of damage on the power play. Tomas Hertl led the offense with four points, while Victor Olofsson continued his hot start with two goals, remaining Vegas’ leading goal scorer through four games. Unfortunately, after taking a questionable hit in the third period, Olofsson did not finish the game as tempers boiled over and the final 10 minutes were filled with penalties and scrums.
During the offseason, many experts wondered who the Golden Knights would have to replace Pavel Dorofeyev’s goal production. When the club brought back Olofsson for his second stint, many brushed off the move, believing he couldn't be the answer. Through four games, including his two-goal performance against the Kraken, Olofsson is quietly becoming one of Vegas’ most important offseason signings.
Olofsson took 14 games last year to reach his current goal total
To begin the 2025-26 season, Olofsson was with the Colorado Avalanche, signing as a free agent in the offseason. Although he didn’t score in his first 10 games, he did have five assists. Then, against the New Jersey Devils on October 26, he recorded his first and only hat trick in an 8-4 win. Olofsson was goalless in the next two games before scoring two more against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 4.
After those two games, he scored his next goal on November 16 and another one on December 13. In the new year, he had three more goals with the Avalanche before a trade sent him to Calgary, where he had just two goals in 18 games.
Statistically, Olofsson, a former three-time 20-goal scorer, has only seen his totals dip by two over the past three seasons, from 15 to 13 to 11. Last time he skated with the Golden Knights, he finished the year with 15 goals in 56 games and was plus-17. He also had six power-play goals and four game-winners.
Golden Knights have never had a 50-goal scorer
According to Olofsson’s Elite Prospects profile, the 31-year-old from Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, is on pace for 56 goals and 84 points. Those totals are a bit of a stretch for a guy whose career highs are 28 goals and 49 points, so setting a new personal best of 30 goals and 50 points would be a huge win. Dorofeyev led Vegas in goals the last two seasons with 35 and 37, so if Olofsson can keep producing as he has through the first games, he could become the seventh player in franchise history with a 30-goal campaign.
Of course, there will be slumps, and no one expects Olofsson to maintain his current scoring pace for an entire 84-game season. Outside the game's elite, not everyone can maintain point-per-game production, and scoring 50 goals in today's NHL remains rare. But on a modest $1.6 million one-year deal, Olofsson has a chance to land himself a prominent role in the Golden Knights attack and possibly a longer deal in the offseason. Through the team’s first four games, including against the Kraken, Olofsson seems rejuvenated and is a driving force behind Vegas’ 3-1-0 record.
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