Red Wings sign Viktor Arvidsson to two-year contract
Shortly after the opening of the NHL’s unrestricted free agency window at 12:00 PM Eastern on Wednesday, reports emerged, including from Emily Kaplan of ESPN, that the Detroit Red Wings have signed veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year contract.
Sources say the Detroit Red Wings are targeting Viktor Arvidsson on a two year deal.
After a challenging 2024-25 campaign with the Edmonton Oilers, Arvidsson re-ignited his career last year after taking a one-year deal last summer with the Boston Bruins. While in Boston, Arvidsson was an able top-six winger, as his 54 points in 69 regular season games helped push the Bruins to a surprising berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Arvidsson was the No. 21 player available on Matt Larkin’s Top 50 free agent rankings, in large part due to his renewed offensive production he put on display last season.
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Now, Arvidsson will join a Red Wings squad that was in need of depth scoring, as only five Detroit forwards topped the 31-point mark last season, with two of them possibly on the outs in Dylan Larkin (trade request) and Patrick Kane (unrestricted free agent).
The Red Wings are in the midst of the longest Stanley Cup Playoff appearance drought in the NHL, as they have not appeared in the postseason since 2014.
The Larkin trade request cranks up the pressure on general manager Steve Yzerman, who has presided over much of this drought and must now get creative as he looks to build a team that can work its way into the postseason.
In Arvidsson, they’re getting a versatile depth winger with a plethora of playoff experience. The Swede spent seven years with the Nashville Predators. In those seven years, the club made the postseason six times, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
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