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Viktor Arvidsson, formerly a member of the Nashville Predators (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Bruins Benefitting From Arvidsson Resurgence in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Hannah Garfield | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 9:35 AM ET

After the 2024-25 season, the Boston Bruins needed to make improvements in all areas of the game. Luckily, with the return of Hampus Lindholm to the lineup following a knee injury that kept him out almost the entire 2024-25 season and Jeremy Swayman expected to bounce back from a bad season, defense and goaltending had internal solutions to fix their issues. So GM Don Sweeney’s focus was thus on bringing in new forwards to aid in the team’s need for more depth on offense.

But when free agency began, there were definitely some question marks in how the front office was choosing to move. While some great moves were made at the 2025 trade deadline to bring in exciting, new, and young talent, the start of free agency saw some of the familiar, repeated pitfalls of Sweeney’s GM tenure: a focus on bringing in bigger, physical, “character” guys, who were realistically best suited as bottom-six players. While every team needs these guys, under the current management, the Bruins seem to put too much emphasis on this type of player and often putting them in positions that weren’t best suited for them to succeed. It has backfired on the team over and over again, especially during the postseason rolled around and the team would struggle to score goals.

The Bruins needed above all else last summer to bring in another consistent goal scorer that could at least match the offense that had been generated by Brad Marchand, who despite being traded away during the 2024-25 season, finished as the team’s third highest goal scorer and tied for third in overall points. Sweeney’s answer was to trade for Viktor Arvidsson.

At 32-years-old and coming off of a down season with the Edmonton Oilers, there were significant question marks about how much of an impact Arvidsson could have. But he has put together a truly great season and has cemented himself as a vital part of this forward lineup going into the final games of the regular season and a hopeful playoff run.

Career Prior to the Bruins

Arvidsson was a 2014, fourth-round draft pick by the Nashville Predators who made his debut in the 2014-15 season. While he was on the smaller side, he quickly gained attention for his speed and shot, willing to take a shot on net from almost anywhere on the ice.

Throughout his tenure in Nashville, Arvidsson grew his reputation as a goal scorer, putting together two 30+ goal seasons (2016-17 and 2018-19) with his best coming in 2018-19 when he had 34 goals and 48 points in 58 games. He also just barely missed reaching the 30-goal mark in 2017-18 when he had 29 in 78 games.

Following the expiration of his rookie contract in 2017, he signed a seven-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.25 million. But in July 2021, he was traded from Nashville to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2021 second-round draft pick and 2022 third-round pick. This trade was partially due to the Seattle Expansion draft and Nashville wanting to get something for Arvidsson given the fact they didn’t have the room to add him to their protection list.

While not reaching the same level of success in Los Angeles that he had in Nashville, Arvidsson put together two, 20+ goal seasons. But was significantly impacted by injuries, most notably, persistent back issues that are believed to have originated from a brutal cross-check from Robert Bortuzzo that injured him back in 2019. He ended up only playing in 18 games during 2023-24 as he got surgery for a herniated disc to address his back injuries.

His reputation as being injury prone led to him not being re-signed by the Kings when he hit unrestricted free agent (UFA) status in 2024. He was signed by the Oilers to a two-year deal with a $4 million AAV. But things didn’t pan out for him in Canada, registering only 15 goals in 67 games in 2024-25. He was a healthy scratch several times during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.

The Bruins acquired him in a trade at the start of free agency after he waived his no-movement clause. In exchange, Boston sent Edmonton a 2027 fifth-round pick. While there were question marks around whether he could stay healthy or regain his scoring touch, the deal was ultimately a pretty low risk, high reward situation for Boston. They didn’t give up much and with few expectations for the team coming into the 2025-26 season, the team could take a risk and see if he’d pan out.

Arvidsson’s Success in Boston

While health continues to be an issue for Arvidsson, he has certainly regained his scoring touch and has been a very impactful player for the Bruins in 2025-26. His trade to Boston reunited him with head coach Marco Sturm, who was part of the Kings’ coaching staff during his tenure with the team. Reuniting the two has certainly gone a long way towards his resurgence.

In 63 games so far this season, he has 24 goals and 50 points. He has already surpassed Marchand’s goal contributions from last season. His play, along with Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie hitting new career highs for goals, have been transformative for this team’s offense. Arvidsson is currently fifth in overall points for the Bruins, trailing only David Pastrnak, Geekie, Zacha, and Charlie McAvoy.

One of the most important parts of his game this season though has been his ability to step up when the team needs it most. Arvidsson has the most game-winning goals this season of anyone on the roster. The second line of him, Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt, has been one of the highlights for the Bruins following post-Olympics return to play. Where some of the top guys have struggled, he and Zacha have majorly stepped up. Since Feb. 26 when the Bruins returned to play, he has 22 points, including 10 goals, in 18 games.

Look at the last two games alone. Against the Columbus Blue Jackets, an important matchup with how close both teams are in the standings for the Wild Card spots, Arvidsson assisted on all three goals in the third period to bring the Bruins back into the game. He then scored the winning goal in the shootout. Against the Dallas Stars, he had a hat trick, helping the team get two more important points in the playoff race.

Boston Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)

This is the first time Arvidsson has surpassed the 50-point mark in a season since he had 59 in 2022-23 with the Kings. It is also only the fourth time in his 11 season career that he’s surpassed 50 points. He is truly a guy who hit his stride this season and it has been a huge difference maker for the Bruins.

What is Next for Arvidsson?

It is safe to say that the Arvidsson trade was a great move for the Bruins, getting a higher reward than many would have guessed. Of all the new players that were brought in last summer, he has easily been the most impactful. Going into this summer though, he is one of the two UFA’s on the current roster for Boston (the other is Andrew Peeke).

It is truly a toss up at this point about whether or not he’ll be re-signed or will go elsewhere this summer. It comes down to a mixed list of factors. He has truly shown to be a difference maker and still has the ability to be an elite goal-scorer, but how much term and money will the front office be willing to commit to a guy with his injury history? With the salary cap set to increase again, there very easily could be a top contender looking to add a veteran, known scoring presence who could offer him a fair amount of money in free agency. With the Bruins still rebuilding to an extent even if they make the postseason this season, they shouldn’t be getting into a bidding war for any player, and instead continue to focus on developing and giving opportunities to the guys coming up.

Arvidsson has been great in 2025-26 and if the Bruins make the playoffs, his contributions should be considered an important factor in that. He’s the best player that was brought in last summer, and yet, the focus in Boston should still be focused on the long term versus the short term. Arvidsson may not be the best fit for those long term plans, especially if he can get more money elsewhere.