Boston and Don Sweeney successfully negotiated a trade for a middle-six winger on Tuesday, as the Bruins needed some scoring punch.
Just before free agency began, Boston declared that they had acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth-round pick in 2027.
Boston decided to take a chance on a seasoned winger who might contribute 20 goals to a team that needed a shot-first option because there weren’t many options available in free agency.
The 32-year-old Avridsson just finished a season with the Oilers in which he scored 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games.
The Swedish forward peppers the net and is a deadly scoring threat off the rush. According to Natural Stat Trick, Arvidsson finished 19th out of 596 NHL players who played at least 500 minutes of even-strength ice time during the previous season, with 9.57 shots per 60 minutes.
Arvidsson’s 2024–25 season microstats:pic.twitter.com/pvxoXm1zdX
Arvidsson will be subject to a $4 million cap charge and has one year remaining on his deal.
He has scored 20 goals or more five times during his NHL career, making him a productive forward. Arvidsson scored more than 30 goals throughout his time with the Nashville Predators, including 31 goals in 2016–17 and 34 goals in 2018–19.
During the 2023–24 season, Arvidsson struggled with ailments. He had back surgery in October before being sidelined by a lower-body condition. That season, Arvidsson recorded 15 points and six goals in 18 games.
Marco Sturm, the new head coach of the Bruins, has some experience with Arvidsson because he was the Kings’ assistant coach for three seasons when Arvidsson was playing in the middle six.
Arvidsson might line up for second-line minutes on a Bruins team lacking scoring threats, but at this point in his career, he is probably best used in a third-line role.
The Bruins currently have $8.8 million in salary space left, per @BruinsCapSpace.
Viktor Arvidsson was acquired by the Bruins from the Edmonton Oilers.Cap Projectionpic.twitter.com/N99gpFOqHB has been updated.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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