The Detroit Red Wings are signing former Boston Bruins star Viktor Arvidsson. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan initially broke the news that Detroit and general manager Steve Yzerman were interested in targeting the forward. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman then followed up the report by claiming that a deal was done between the two sides.
According to Friedman, the Detroit Red Wings are giving Arvidsson a two-year, $10 million ($5 million AAV) contract. The move gives the veteran forward a slight pay raise compared to his previous deal. Boston previously paid the winger $4 million annually after acquiring him from the Edmonton Oilers in July 2025. The Bruins gave up a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to have Arvidsson for one season.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston recently ranked Arvidsson as the 14th-best NHL unrestricted free agent in the market. Johnston predicted that the veteran forward would grab a contract in the neighborhood of two years, $9.8 million. The prediction has proved to be fairly accurate. Detroit will likely now place Arvidsson on the left side of one of their top two lines.
Detroit Red Wings Bolster Their Offense with Viktor Arvidsson Deal
GettyFormer Bruins star Viktor Arvidsson will bring offense and veteran leadership to the Detroit Red Wings.
Interestingly enough, the Bruins previously offered the same two-year, $10 million deal to Arvidsson. The forward also previously expressed an interest in returning to Boston. “I’d be happy to talk to [general manager Don Sweeney] about coming back,” claimed Arvidsson on May 3, as reported by MassLive. “Just a lot of areas that needs to be figured out with my family and stuff like that. I had so much fun. It was a great year.”
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Sweeney was interested in bringing back Arvidsson for the 2026-27 season as well. Nevertheless, Boston’s trade to grab J.J. Peterka (and his $7.7 million AAV contract) complicated the reunion. In fact, Sweeney even admitted that while he would like to re-sign Arvidsson, the aforementioned trade made it a challenge.
The Detroit Red Wings, however, will take advantage of the situation. Arvidsson was seemingly reborn during his lone season in Beantown. The veteran recorded 54 points in 69 regular-season games during the 2025-26 season. This was his highest point total in a campaign since 2022-23. He previously reached a career-high 61 points in back-to-back seasons with the Nashville Predators between 2016 and 2018.
Detroit Still Has to Convince Captain to Stay
With Arvidsson set to be in place, the Detroit Red Wings have filled a significant hole on their roster. Detroit recently lost fellow left winger James Van Riemsdyk to free agency. The now 37-year-old veteran picked up 31 points in 72 games in his only season with the Red Wings. Arvidsson should be a fairly significant upgrade at the position for head coach Todd McLellan.
Daily Faceoff already has the newly acquired forward tentatively on Detroit’s top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. On paper, this would be a solid line for the Red Wings. Nevertheless, Larkin may not be on the roster come October due to a previous trade request. It remains to be seen if the Arvidsson deal can help persuade the team captain to stay.
Red Wings Land Former Bruins Star Forward on Multi-Year Deal