Oilers 2024-25 Report Cards: Viktor Arvidsson

As the offseason rolls on, so do the Edmonton Oilers’ player grades. The last report card graded Calvin Pickard, and now we turn our attention to Viktor Arvidsson. The Oilers signed Arvidsson to a two-year contract with a $4 million cap hit last offseason to solidify the top six and play with Leon Draisaitl. The German superstar needed a pure shooter and a legitimate top-six winger to provide offence on the second line, while adding another scoring threat. Fans were initially excited about the signing because Draisaitl finally had support, or so we thought.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned, so the Swedish forward waived his no-movement clause to facilitate a trade with the Boston Bruins, which allowed Edmonton to free up some much-needed cap space. He wasn’t a good fit, and general manager Stan Bowman was able to get an asset in return.

The veteran winger came in with a lot of hype, but didn’t live up to it, and fans were left disappointed. He finished the regular season with 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games while being a minus-3. Arvidsson added two goals and seven points in 15 playoff games, including a clutch goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Arvidsson Has an Injury History

Arvidsson has a history of injury troubles throughout his career and has only played 80 games once, during the 2016-17 season. He was limited to just 18 games in 2023-24 with the Los Angeles Kings after undergoing back surgery in October, his second back procedure in less than 18 months. He returned in February and was productive upon his return, recording six goals and 15 points.

Then, the 32-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury against the New York Islanders on Nov. 12 and was initially listed as day-to-day. However, that injury was much worse than we were led to believe, and he didn’t return until Dec. 19, missing 15 games during that stretch. His health had been the biggest thing holding him back.

Arvidsson’s Overall Grade

Arvidsson has been a 20-goal scorer throughout his career, reaching the 20-goal plateau five times and the 30-goal mark twice. However, he didn’t live up to expectations and was eventually replaced by Kasperi Kapanen on the second line. Arvidsson is solid along the boards, so he should’ve been a good fit with Draisaitl, because No. 29 works well with someone who can win board battles and get him the puck in open space. That’s why he works so well with Vasily Podkolzin, but he didn’t have that same chemistry with Arvidsson. The 2014 fourth-round pick wasn’t bad, but he had higher expectations and didn’t meet them. Therefore, he gets a C for his regular-season play.