By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
32-year-old winger Viktor Arvidsson is an energetic veteran who is shaping up to be a key part of the Boston Bruins’ next phase. The organization needs his experience and understanding of the forecheck to come through.
On offense, Arvidsson is always moving his skates and pressuring the opponent. On defense, he’s been trying to contribute in a similar way by bringing energy to wall battles. Going forward, he just has to make sure his offensive pressure is impactful while his defensive zone time does not become a liability.
When in the attacking zone, Arvidsson can be a lot to handle from a forecheck standpoint, totaling 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season. The future of his offensive impact really just relies on him continuing to move his skates and get on opposing defenders.
He is someone cut for exactly the forecheck transition the organization wants to make, speeding up the internal clock of defenders similarly to how the Florida Panthers did to the Bruins in their playoff matchups. If you see him following self-dumped pucks into the opposing zone and getting shots on net often, that means he is doing his job and on the right trajectory. It’s all about bringing more of the same for Arvidsson on this end of the ice, whereas the defensive zone requires something different.
Arvidsson has somewhat grasped the idea of bringing a similar skating presence to his defending, but the Bruins will need him to really emphasize it this season. Being a pestering presence along the boards will help dilute any positioning issues he might have as a naturally offensive-oriented player.
In addition to this, it will also help address a team-wide transition game that was more than lackluster last season. It will be on players like Arvidsson to support the eager defenseman during defend-and-breakout reps. The Bruins don’t acquire players that don’t at least have potential to be more capable in their own zone, so the team clearly sees that Arvidsson can be more than a zero in that aspect.
It’s a bit of continuing on established traits and polishing up unaddressed ones for Arvidsson, and he should have a good mix of older and younger players to energize and motivate him. As the team wishes to gain a more eager forecheck while protecting younger prospects with physical linemates, Arvidsson will be able to help jumpstart this. This acquisition was never about big statistical numbers or replacing Brad Marchand’s production; it has always been about acquiring a role model and a blend of intangibles.
The flashy offensive numbers are part of the much more developed stage of an organizational retool, and fans will learn this through a player like this with what areas he impacts. Once Arvidsson shows on television that first rush of physicality on the first strategic dump-in, fans will quickly realize why he’s here and what identity the team is going for.
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