Red Wings sign Viktor Arvidsson to a 2-year, $10 million contract

Updated 9x at 1:51 PM: Per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan…

The 33-year-old stands at 5’10” and 180 pounds, he plays wing, and scored 25 goals among 54 points in 69 games played for Boston last season.

The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms…

And Elliotte Friedman makes it 3 sources, and he reports that it’s a 2-year, $10 million contract:

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also confirms…

And here’s Kaplan in text form:

The Detroit Red Wings are closing in on a two-year contract with Viktor Arvidsson, sources told ESPN.

Arvidsson thrived last season on Boston’s second line with mates Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt. In 69 games, Arvidsson, 33, posted 25 goals and 54 points as the Bruins returned to the postseason after a one-year absence.

However, the 33-year-old was not able to come to terms with the Bruins, who made a big splash at the NHL Draft by acquiring winger JJ Peterka.

The Red Wings are looking to snap the NHL’s longest active playoff drought, which has reached 10 seasons. The biggest agenda item for GM Steve Yzerman this summer is how to handle captain Dylan Larkin‘s trade request.

Sources say Yzerman has been working through a small list of teams provided by Larkin, but has not found offers he’s happy with and is willing to wait until he identifies a deal that makes sense for the Red Wings. Detroit also allowed veteran wingers Patrick Kane and David Perron to explore the free agent market.

Arvidsson, 33, broke into the NHL with the Predators, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2014.

Arvidsson’s last contract was a two-year deal with a salary-cap hit of $4 million, a pact he signed with Edmonton in 2024. In one season with the Oilers, he landed at 15 goals and 27 points, averaging 14:59 time on ice before being dealt to Boston.

In 12 NHL seasons, Arvidsson, a native of Skelleftea, Sweden who played for his country in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, has topped 20 goals six times, and 30 goals twice. In a two-year run with Nashville — 2016-2018 — he had 60 goals and 122 points.

Update: more…

Update #2: From the Boston Globe’s Kevin Dupont…

Update #3: From the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker…

On the opening day of the NHL free-agency period, the Detroit Red Wings are adding some veteran talent up front with the signing of Viktor Arvidsson.

The opening day of the NHL Free Agency period is here, and the Detroit Red Wings have made a signing to add veteran talent up front.

The Red Wings are signing veteran forward Viktor Arvidsson, who played last season with the divisional rival Boston Bruins, to a two-year contract with a $5 million cap hit.

Arvidsson, who was selected in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, scored 25 goals with 29 assists in 69 games played in 2025-26 with the Bruins.

And The Athletic’s Max Bultman:

The Detroit Red Wings have signed winger Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year contract with a $5 million average annual value, according to league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to address negotiations that aren’t public.

Arvidsson, 33, was an unrestricted free agent coming off a two-year deal with a $4 million cap hit. He had a resurgent season with the Bruins in 2025-26, with 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games after scoring just 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games with the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25.

The Bruins made a low-cost bet on Arvidsson when they acquired him from the Oilers for a 2027 fifth-rounder. But Arvidsson was a short-term investment because of his expiring contract, age and playing style.

Coach Marco Sturm was an Arvidsson supporter. Sturm, who also coached Arvidsson when he was a Los Angeles Kings assistant, liked how the high-energy wing made himself visible in interior ice. He praised Arvidsson for encouraging his teammates to fall in line behind him because of his nonstop motor.

The Red Wings needed five-on-five scoring help, and Arvidsson should address that need. His 42 five-on-five points last season were more than any Red Wing other than Alex DeBrincat, and his 18 five-on-five goals would have led the team. Last season, Detroit ranked 30th in the league with just 2.13 five-on-five goals per 60 minutes.

The 33-year-old winger also has familiarity with Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan, as McLellan coached the Kings when Arvidsson was there from 2021-2024.

Arvidsson’s average ice time dropped below 15 minutes per game last season, which is notable for a team that ideally needs Arvidsson to play in its top six. But it shouldn’t be a stretch to get him up to at least a second-line role, where his speed and scoring ability will add needed elements to the Red Wings lineup.

Meanwhile, at the BELFOR Training Center…

Update #4: From the Free Press’s Helene St. James…

Viktor Arvidsson agrees to terms

The Wings signed forward Viktor Arvidsson for two years at a $5 million salary cap hit. This is a good get for the Wings, as Arvidsson, 33, plays a physical, hard-nosed style and is especially good around the net. He could fit on the second or third line, depending on how the roster shakes out.

Update #5: From MassLive’s Lauren Campbell…

Although he spent only one season in a Bruins uniform, coach Marco Sturm was impressed by what he brought to the team.

“He didn’t disappoint me. He was a big part not just on the ice, but also in this room as a leader as well,” Sturm said. “I really appreciate Arvi coming in and be the guy he was. It would be nice to have him back, but there’s more to it.”

Both the Bruins and Arvidsson expressed interest in a return. It’s unclear if he received an offer from Boston.

Bringing Arvidsson back became harder after the Bruins traded for J.J. Peterka ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. General manager Don Sweeney said the move didn’t take them out of re-signing Arvidsson, but admitted it would be harder with Peterka’s $7.7 million AAV.

“I wouldn’t say we’re out,” he said. “The cap starts to become a little bit of a challenge if we’re going to add anywhere else. But no, I wouldn’t say we’re out.”

Update #6: Here’s even more from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Arvidsson, 33, scored 25 goals in Boston last season with 29 assists for 54 points. His career high is 34 goals in 2018-19 with Nashville, and has been a consistent 20-goal scorer throughout his 11-year career.

Arvidsson wears No. 71, which is the same number worn by Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade.

Arvidsson has fine speed and likes to shoot the puck. He plays a tenacious style, and is capable defensively.

Arvidsson fills a need of a scoring winger in the top two scoring lines. The Wings are also likely Wednesday to add to their goaltending position, needing a backup to starter John Gibson.

The Wings are awaiting word on what wing Patrick Kane will do now that Kane has entered the unrestricted free-agent market. The future Hall of Famer has expressed a desire to remain with the Wings, but now that’s he’s on the market, may listen to offers from his original team the Chicago Blackhawks, or hometown Buffalo Sabres.

And, of course, there’s the on-going situation regarding Larkin. It’s an uncertain a deal can, or will be, made in the near future. But it could play into Kane’s ultimate decision.

Update: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Kristen Shilton and Ryan S. Clark weigh in with a grade for the signing:

Viktor Arvidsson, F
Detroit Red Wings

The terms: 2 years, $5 million AAV

Grade: B+

Where does he fit? Arvidsson will be a second-or-third line guy for the Red Wings, who add some physical presence along with a pretty high-end five-on-five scoring ability. He ranked second amongst Boston’s skaters last year in even-strength points (with 45, in what was a 25-goal, 54-point effort through 69 games). Arvidsson also played a role on the Bruins’ power play and could help Detroit on their second unit. He’s 33, but Arvidsson isn’t showing many signs of his age just yet. And while he’s not the biggest body (at 5-foot-10), Arvidsson brings some physicality and is a tenacious forechecker, which should help to make Detroit tougher up front.

Does it make sense?

This is a good deal for Detroit. The term is right given Arvidsson’s into his 30s, and it’s a dollar figure commensurate with what he’s done, and can still do, for the Red Wings. Detroit ranked 30th in the NHL last season in 5-on-5 goals so that’s the most obvious area Arvidsson can help improve. In general, Detroit had to be eyeing some depth scoring given the uncertainty around Dylan Larkin‘s status and with Patrick Kane hitting free agency. Even if Kane does re-sign with Detroit, Arvidsson will have a role to play (and a potentially significant one at that) if he can build off one of the best seasons of his career in 2025-26. — Shilton

Update #8:

And here’s Helene St. James again:

The Detroit Red Wings have added something they needed: A bruising winger with a scoring touch.

Viktor Arvidsson agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Red Wings on Wednesday, July 1, the first day of the NHL free agency period.

The 33-year-old is a much-needed acquisition. Arvidsson (5 feet 10, 181 pounds) is tenacious and consistent about going to the net, plays with pace and is a 200-foot player. He’ll fit in nicely on the second or third line.

Arvidsson is a strong power play guy, but even better for the Wings, who struggled to score 5-on-5 last season, 21 of his 25 goals last season with the Boston Bruins came during even strength.

Update #9: 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield weighs in as well:

[His] goal-scoring pace would have ranked third on the Red Wings behind Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin.

Just as importantly to the Red Wings, Arvidsson had 18 five-on-five goals, an area in which Steve Yzerman wants to improve Detroit’s roster this offseason. That would have ranked first on the Wings, who finished third-to-last in the NHL in five-on-five goals.

Arvidsson played just 14:36 per game last season, but made the most of his ice time. He quietly finished third in the NHL in five-on-five points per 60 minutes, behind Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. And he finished 13th in five-on-five goals per 60.

Part of that owes to a shooting percentage that was a healthy clip above his career mark and will likely come back down next season. With similar ice time the year prior, Arvidsson scored 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games with the Oilers when his puck luck swung the other way.

His reality with the Red Wings will be somewhere in the middle.

Arvidsson is a 12-year vet with six 20-goal seasons to his name. He’s a finisher more than a creator and should fit somewhere in Detroit’s middle-six.

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *