New Red Wings forward Viktor Arvidsson discussed several topics over the course of his introductory press conference, and the Wings’ media corps took note thereof.
This evening, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that Arvidsson told the media that he’s not focusing on the parts of joining the Wings’ roster that he cannot control, i.e. the Dylan Larkin situation…
“No, I haven’t really put any thought into that or read too much about it,” Arvidsson said. “So, I was focused on myself and what I’m going to bring to the team, and that’s about it.”
In a sense, that’s got to be a bit of relief for Red Wings fans. Entering the July 1 UFA period, there was certainly concern about how the uncertainty of the future of the team might impact players determining where they were going to play next.
As far as Arvidsson was concerned, he was viewing Detroit as a desired destination. The veteran Swedish forward agreed to terms on a two-year deal with an AAV of $5 million.
“It was kind of an easy decision, and I’m happy to be a Red Wing,” Arvidsson said. “It’s going to be fun.”
And instead, Arvidsson talked up himself and his attributes, including his work ethic and “stick-to-it-ive-ness,” as 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield noted:
Arvidsson is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Playing consistently on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha, he scored 25 goals — 18 of them at five-on-five — in 69 games and finished third in the NHL in five-on-five points per 60 minutes, behind only Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.
Zacha was the Bruins’ most productive center, finishing with 30 goals and 65 points. Larkin finished with 33 goals and 67 points. If he’s indeed traded this summer, it remains to be seen who becomes 1C in Detroit.
None of this really matters to Arvidsson. For the 12-year vet, stability in his linemates is just as important (if not more) as the personnel. That’s how he rebounded last season after a frustrating year with the Oilers. Arvidsson put up twice as many points with Boston despite playing the same amount of minutes in his lone season with Edmonton.
“I’ve always been good five-on-five and scored and created offense and defensively I’ve been good. I just felt like going from LA to Edmonton, I kind of got stuck in Edmonton a little bit with not playing consistently at five-on-five and playing with a lot of different people during games,” Arvidsson said. “In Boston, I played with the same players, and you create that chemistry with certain players, and I think we meshed together last year really well. It was fun to play. I just think I compete so hard, I get chances and I like to be around the next and find loose pucks and stuff like that. That’s a big part of my game.”
Arvidsson, 33, said his line with Zacha and Middlestadt got off to a slow start, “but I don’t like to just give up on guys or anything. You talk to the guys you play with and you try to create something and try to learn from each other, and I think we did that really well. I’m not going to change how I approach things this year, either,” Arvidsson said. “I’m going to try to make the best out of the situation I get put into.”
That’s the kind of attitude the Red Wings need to tap into this upcoming season, regardless of what happens with Larkin or Patrick Kane.
