For the first time in nearly a month, Viktor Arvidsson has hit the ice for a skate.
The Oilers winger was injured in early November, having last played on Nov. 12 against the New York Islanders. His status left him “day-to-day” initially, and there was optimism that his injury wasn’t serious.
But it didn’t take long for the days to turn to weeks, and a setback last week left an unclear timeline of when he would be able to return.
That, however, changed on Monday morning — at least in part — when Arvidsson hit the ice on Monday morning, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reported.
Per Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, Viktor Arvidsson has resumed skating. The hope is that he’ll participate in a team practice this week.
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) December 9, 2024
There’s optimism that Arvidsson could join the team for practice this week, but given the swings in his status in recent weeks, I wouldn’t hold your breath. Nonetheless, a spin on the ice is a good sign that he’s taking a step forward in rehabilitating the undisclosed injury.
Arvidsson’s no stranger to the injury bug, having missed significant time last year with the Los Angeles Kings, and never playing a full 82-game season. He’s appeared in 16 this year for the Oilers scoring two goals and five points while taking 38 shots on goal.
The Oilers got some relief from injuries last week when Zach Hyman returned to the Oilers lineup in tremendous fashion, scoring a pair of goals in a 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and adding another Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues, adding five shots on goal in each game.
Hyman returned to his spot on Edmonton’s top line alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins without missing a beat, and Arvidsson being able to do the same would be a huge win for the Oilers. Vasily Podkolzin has remained with Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second line without Arvidsson, but there’s been a revolving door of sorts on their opposite wing.
Corey Perry, Connor Brown and now Kasperi Kapanen have gotten looks there, but none have been able to stick for any significant amount of time. Whenever Arvidsson returns, it’s safe to assume he’d return to Draisaitl and Podkolzin’s flank.
Edmonton’s next game comes Tuesday night hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 7 p.m. MST puck drop.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
