There are no sure things in hockey, especially when it comes to aging wingers who play a physical game. They can fall off the cliff fast, as we saw in Edmonton with both Milan Lucic and Benoit Pouliot. The wear and tear of the game they play has consequences, grinding down opponents, but also their own bodies.
It’s no certainty then that feisty and physical Viktor Arvidsson will start scoring at a high rate for the Edmonton Oilers. Nonethless, that’s what I predict will happen in the next few months, so long at least as Arvidsson remains healthy, a major caveat. He will turn 32 as the 2025 playoffs start and has a lengthy recent history of major injury keeping him out of the line-up. He’s already missed 15 games this year due to injury after missing 64 games last year for the Los Angeles Kings.
But Arvidsson is healthy now and he’s bringing his “A” game, a fast, exciting, solid two-way package blending smarts on defence with aggression and high skill in shooting, passing and skating on the attack.
Arvidson has yet to put up many points this year, just 11 in 24 games. He’s put up just 1.6 points per 60 even strength minutes, which places him as a third-line NHL scorer.
It’s below Jeff Skinner’s rate of 1.73 per 60. It’s even below that of Arvidsson’s grinding linemate Vasili Podkolzin, 1.74 per per 60.
But the line of Leon Draisaitl, Arvidsson and Podkolzin has been exhibiting impressive chemistry in both ends, limiting Grade A shots against while working together to create all kinds of scoring opportunities.
Arvidsson has been hindered somewhat this year by injury but it’s promising to see that he’s put up a high rate of major contributions to Grade A shots at even strength. He gets almost no power play time, but he’s made 3.1 contributions to Grade A shots per game, behind only power play aces Leon Draisaitl, 6.3 per game, Connor McDavid, 6.1, Zach Hyman, 4.2. and Evan Bouchard, 3.5.
Arvidsson is ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 2.5 per game, even as RNH plays so much on the power play.
A player as involved as Arvidsson in Grade A shots is bound to get more points. That’s why I’m confident in my prediction.
Little wonder then that Team Sweden is picked Arvidsson for the coming Four Nations tournament. The man can play and more points are soon to come for the Oilers.
There’s been controversy about the Oil’s off-season moves ever since Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg signed off sheets with St. Louis — and rightly so. It was reckless to bring in so many expensive veteran forwards, such as Adam Henrique, Jeff Skinner and Arvidsson himself, until Holloway and Broberg’s deals were in the bag. But Arvidsson, at the very least, is working out for the Oilers, with the best almost certainly yet to come.
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