Viktor Arvidsson (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images)EDMONTON – Sometimes, a thing that looks like a perfect ends up being the opposite.
This is what happened with the Edmonton Oilers and Viktor Arvidsson last season.
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The 32-year-old Swedish winger signed a two-year contract last summer. Arvidsson finished the season with 27 points in 67 games, while averaging 15 minutes per game. Ultimately, he was traded to the Boston Bruins to give the Oilers more cap flexibility.
In speaking with Ronnie Ronnkvist of HockeySvergie.se, Arvidsson revealed what went wrong with the Oilers.
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“I was a bit injured at the start, missing about 15 games,” Arvidsson said to Ronnkvist. “My role on the team wasn’t really what I had in mind, but it wasn’t what Edmonton had envisioned either. It turned into kind of a trudging season for me, with less ice time and a reduced role.”
“It was a fun and, above all, a very educational season.”
Anyone who has ever had to work a job that they don’t enjoy can understand what Arvidsson explained in this interview. If you aren’t in the proper role, it can feel like you are a square peg getting rammed into a round hole.
It’s fair to say that a similar thing happened with the Oilers' other prized free agent transaction from last summer: Jeff Skinner.
Regardless of what happened in 2024-25, the Oilers will look ahead to the upcoming season. They begin the long journey back to another Stanley Cup Final.
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