When the Boston Bruins acquired JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth on June 26 for two first-round draft picks, it certainly put it even more in doubt that Viktor Arvidsson was going to return to the Black and Gold next season and beyond.
Peterka is signed for four more years with a $7.7 million AAV and is slated to slot into the top-six, most likely the first-line next season for Marco Sturm. That left one less spot in the top six for the Bruins next season, which was writing on the wall for Arvidsson.
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Shortly after free agency opened, it was announced that Arvidsson was leaving the Bruins for the Detroit Red Wings to remain in the Atlantic Division while playing for his third team in as many years after being sent to Boston in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. After the deal was official in Detroit, Arvidsson met with the media and explained his reasoning for signing there.
Viktor Arvidsson explains the decision to sign with the Red Wings
Arvidsson signed a two-year deal for $10 million, which equals out to an AAV of $5 million. That, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, is what the Bruins reportedly offered him, according to a source of his.
In his only and only season with Boston, Arvidsson scored 25 goals and added 29 assists on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittlestadt. He played in four of the six games in the first round against the Buffalo Sabres, missing the last two with an upper-body injury, which was a tough ending to a great season.
However, why did Arvidsson leave the Bruins for the Red Wings? He is reunited with former coach Todd McLellan, who he played under with the Los Angeles Kings.
“I really like playing under Todd,” said Arvidsson. “It was an easy decision.”
Under McLellan, Arvidsson scored 20 goals in 2021-22 and 26 in 2022-23. He was on his way to another big season in 2023-24, but an injury cut his season short to 18 games with six goals and nine assists.
It is understandable why Arvidsson picked Detroit over Boston, but it was possible that the Bruins could have brought him back, despite whatever general manager Don Sweeney says.
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