It’s usually good news for an NHL club when they have very few established players facing unrestricted free agency, and that is the case for the Boston Bruins.
The B’s do have one key veteran looking at looming free agency, however, in veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson, who missed the last couple of games of the first round Stanley Cup playoff series with a broken rib and a punctured lung.
“Ah, it was just tough breathing and moving…and stuff like that,” said a smiling Arvidsson trying to shrug off the major injury during Bruins breakup day on Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena.
It was a big injury loss for the Black and Gold during their first-round defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, as the B’s got a great year from the 33-year-old with 25 goals and 54 points, while he gave the Bruins a little of the undersized, spunky play on the left wing that they’d grown accustomed to from the departed Brad Marchand.
“Having Arvi [Viktor Arvidsson] out, I think that he’s one of those drivers who kind of goes through the tough areas and, you can tell every single player can make a big difference [when they’re injured],” said Marco Sturm. “Yeah, somehow, we gotta find ways to be better a little bit in O-zone.”
Arvidsson formed an incredibly effective second line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt that became Boston’s best 5-on-5 forward trio and essentially a very effective checking line they could throw on the opposition’s best forward line when they played the matchup game. His ability to work his way to the front of the net and win puck battles in danger areas was certainly missed when he was out, as Boston’s offense dried up in the last few games of the postseason series.
But the Bruins also missed his underrated, veteran leadership in the dressing room, as a bit of “a character” and a forward who sets the example for the young forwards on what’s expected in terms of courage and sacrifice.
“I think when we traded for, nothing really changes [about him as a player]. I think Arvi [Viktor Arvidsson] gave me exactly what I was hoping for. He didn’t disappoint me. He didn’t change at all,” said Sturm. “He was a big part, not just on the ice, but also in this room, as a leader as well. Sweens [Don Sweeney] knows about it, and we all know we always talk, and he sees it too.
“But there’s more to it too. Could be salary cap, could be anything, I really appreciate Arvi coming in and [being] the guy he was. Yeah, it would be nice to have him back, but there’s more to it. The one thing I can tell you, I think, that’s what he told me, he did have a lot of fun here playing. I think that’s something that was very important for him.”
That all sounds like optimism with a dose of reality: there might be some hurdles to clear to keep things going between the Bruins and Arvidsson.
It seems pretty obvious the Bruins would want to retain Arvidsson, coming off a 2-year, $8 million contract, and having rescued him from a situation in Edmonton where things didn’t work out for the winger. But it will come down to what kind of term Arvidsson is looking for in a position to secure a good contract coming off his best season in recent years, and what the Bruins’ forward picture looks like as they look to introduce younger players like 19-year-old James Hagens into the lineup.
There is absolutely an argument there that the Bruins should stick with something that worked really well with Arvidsson, Zacha and Mittelstadt, particularly with the other two guys signed on for next season and Zacha very likely to be looking at a contract extension with the B’s. It would probably make more sense for Arvidsson to return if the Bruins make other moves among their forward group, with everyone up front signed for next season except the aforementioned Swedish winger.
Arvidsson, Andrew Peeke, and Matej Blumel are the only B’s facing free agency, with guys like Lukas Reichel, Jordan Harris, and Matt Poitras approaching restricted free agency as well.
Arvidsson, for his part, was enthusiastic about returning to the Bruins, but couched it a bit as a
