The Bruins looked to the trade front to strengthen their forward corps on Tuesday due to a very sparse free agent market opening.
The Bruins trade for a 2027 fifth round selection for 32-year-old wing Viktor Arvidsson, who has one year left at $4 million, since the Edmonton Oilers need to shed cash after signing defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year contract at $10.5 million.
With 26-33-59 totals in 77 games, the aging Arvidsson had one of his best seasons with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022–2023. The Oilers, who believed he would be one of the missing depth connections to help Edmonton defeat the Florida Panthers, signed him to a two-year contract last summer after a back issue restricted him to only 18 games the following season. Arvidsson, a volume shooter and right-handed player who plays on the left side, ended up having a mediocre season with 15-12-27 totals in 67 games. He got 2-5-7 in 15 playoff games.
Fans who were looking for a big-budget movie that would immediately put their team back in the running won’t be thrilled by this move. However, it fills out the middle of the roster and, provided Arvidsson can stay healthy, should at least help make the team competitive for a deal that is low on commitment from the Bruins’ end. If the Boston Bruins do lose their postseason hopes, he might at least be a trade target.
The three years that Arvidsson spent in Los Angeles coincided with the tenure of Marco Sturm, the new Boston Bruins coach. Prior to taking over as head coach of the Kings AHL affiliate, Sturm served as an assistant coach on the LA staff during Arvidsson’s first season there.
The Bruins now have almost $8 million in cap space with the transaction.
The Nashville Predators initially selected the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Arvidsson, who had consecutive seasons with 61 points in 2016–17 and 2017–18.
