All signs point to a pending breakup between the Edmonton Oilers and Viktor Arvidsson — and a report Monday suggests the team might have an easier time than expected in moving on from the winger.
The 32-year-old winger signed a two-year, $4 million AAV deal with the team last summer, but his debut season in the Blue and Orange didn’t go as either side hoped. Arvidsson dealt with injuries in the season that limited him early in the campaign, ultimately playing in 67 regular-season games, scoring 15 goals and 27 points.
And while he was an early fixture in Edmonton’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, as the playoffs progressed, Arvidsson found himself either playing down the lineup or out of it entirely, scoring just two goals and seven points in 15 post-season games.
There were rumours the team had looked to move on from him near the NHL’s Trade Deadline, but that was the time when reports surfaced the winger had a no-movement clause.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Arvidsson is reportedly willing to work with the team on finding a new home.
“I do think they’re going to work on a solution for Arvidsson,” Friedman said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast. “He has control, but I think he’s going to work with them.”
Arvidsson came in as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli’s 19th-ranked trade target on his most recent board, suggesting he would head somewhere that would give him a better opportunity.
Maybe this is one of those situations where it is mutually beneficial to move on. The Oilers will undoubtedly be trying to move Arvidsson, who became a spare part in the postseason – at a salary cap hit for next season that throws their books out of whack. But maybe heading into another contract year, it’s also better for Arvidsson to go to a place where he’ll get more opportunity.
A potential comparison for an Arvidsson trade could be that of the Mason Marchment deal last week, where the Dallas Stars flipped the winger to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The move freed up $4.5 million in cap room for Dallas.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
