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Boston Bruins repeating the same mistakes with Viktor Arvidsson trade

The Boston Bruins needed to find a way to redeem themselves after falling flat in 2024-25. One big move they made on Tuesday involved trading for Viktor Arvidsson.
ByTodd Matthews|
Jan 7, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) plays a rebound in front of Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) plays a rebound in front of Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Last season, the Boston Bruins brought in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, thinking it would help them finally make a deeper playoff run. Instead, the Bruins ended up finishing as the worst team in the Atlantic Division and one of the worst in hockey.

Now, they're bringing in Viktor Arvidsson, and it looks like Boston is slowly turning into a place for players who were good once upon a time. Or, at least that's the current trend as I write this piece just a half-hour before NHL free agency begins.

To be real, I don't know what general manager Don Sweeney sees in Arvidsson, who looked like an afterthought last season with the Edmonton Oilers. While Arvidsson scored 15 goals in 67 regular season games with Edmonton, he only put up 27 points and garnered just 15 minutes flat of average total ice time. His 9.5 shooting percentage also isn't anything to write home about.

What were the Bruins thinking trading for Viktor Arvidsson?

Yeah, this one's making my head swirl. While I thought Sweeney may try to salvage what he has in Boston, making a deal for Arvidsson wasn't something I'd have rationally anticipated. Now, I'll be real, the trade details coming in could make this one at least somewhat worth it, as the Bruins only gave up a 2027 fifth-round pick, as Frank Seravalli pointed out on X.

So, it's not like Sweeney gave up the house to get Arvidsson, nor did I think he would, making this trade low-risk. And while Arvidsson could return to form in Boston, the initial gut reaction from me's calling this one low-risk, low-reward. For now, at least, as goes the old saying in one of my favorite dystopian trilogies.

But it still doesn't mean the Bruins are out of this, as it could be just one in a flurry of moves that could land a few more puzzle pieces in Boston for 2025-26. And if that's the case, then Arvidsson's a building block, and and not a repeat of the "same mistakes," as the headline points out.

So, for now, I'm not hot on bringing Arvidsson to town, but that can change as the week progresses. We'll see what Don Sweeney decides to do as the most highly-anticipated hour of the offseason awaits.

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