The Bruins are set to add some extra depth on the wing. Irfaan Gafaar reports (Twitter link) that Boston will be acquiring Viktor Arvidsson from Edmonton; David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds (Twitter link) that the veteran has waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the move. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Edmonton will receive a future mid-round pick in return.
The 32-year-old was brought in last summer by team president Jeff Jackson who was serving as interim GM at the time in a move to try to shore up their secondary scoring. Given Arvidsson’s track record, the move made some sense on paper although it helped put the Oilers in the cap bind that ultimately cost them Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets from St. Louis soon after.
While Arvidsson was productive in limited action after returning from injury in 2023-24 with 15 points in 18 games, he wasn’t able to produce at that same level with Edmonton. He notched 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 regular season games with Edmonton while adding two goals and five helpers in 15 playoff contests while also spending time as a healthy scratch.
With Arvidsson having one year left on his contract with a $4MM cap charge, it was widely expected that the Oilers would be looking to move him to open up some much-needed cap flexibility on their end.
Given the low-cost return this is an interesting move for Boston. GM Don Sweeney hasn’t hidden his expectation of getting the Bruins back to the playoffs but with a UFA market that’s thinning quite quickly, taking a flyer on a one-year add over a multi-year addition works from a flexibility standpoint.
While Arvidsson is coming off a down year, he has five seasons of at least 20 goals under his belt. With Boston being a team that was 27th in goals scored last season, adding someone with a decent track record of production certainly makes sense. And if the Bruins aren’t able to get back into the playoff mix, he’d make sense as a late-season trade candidate for a team looking to add some winger depth, putting Boston in a position to get back what they gave up to get him (or perhaps even more, depending on the state of the market).
More to follow.