Viktor Arvidsson’s departure from Boston became easier to read once the Bruins landed JJ Peterka on June 26.
That move, which sent two first-round draft picks to the Utah Mammoth, added another top-six piece for Marco Sturm and made the Bruins’ forward picture even tighter. Peterka is signed for four more years at a $7.7 million AAV and is expected to slide into the top six, most likely the first line next season. With one less opening available up front, Arvidsson’s path back to Boston looked increasingly thin.
A short time after free agency opened, the news came down: Arvidsson was headed to the Detroit Red Wings. He stayed in the Atlantic Division and moved on to his third team in as many years after Boston had acquired him in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.
Once the deal was finalized in Detroit, Arvidsson spoke to the media and laid out why he chose the Red Wings.
Arvidsson signed a two-year contract worth $10 million, which works out to a $5 million AAV. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that the Bruins had also offered that same number, according to a source of his.
Even with that, Arvidsson made his choice quickly. The biggest reason was Todd McLellan, the coach he previously played for with the Los Angeles Kings.
“I really like playing under Todd,” said Arvidsson. “It was an easy decision.”
That connection matters because Arvidsson’s best scoring stretches under McLellan came in Los Angeles. He scored 20 goals in 2021-22 and 26 in 2022-23. In 2023-24, he was tracking toward another strong year before an injury ended his season after 18 games, leaving him with six goals and nine assists.
Arvidsson’s lone season in Boston was productive. He finished with 25 goals and 29 assists, skating on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittlestadt. His year ended on a sour note, though, after he played in four of the six games in the first round against the Buffalo Sabres and missed the final two with an upper-body injury.
So while Boston may have had a chance to keep him, Arvidsson’s comments made the Detroit decision pretty clear.