The Boston Bruins have been one of the most consistent teams in the National Hockey League in recent years, and after a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, the team bounced back in a big way last season, and will now look to build on that success with a big summer.
While there’s question marks over how far this core group can take them, the organization seem to believe in the likes of Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman and David Pastrnak, who led them to the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Division with 100 points on the season. As a result, they’re considered a team to watch in free agency and on the trade market this off-season, but now, there’s been reports that a veteran has turned down a reunion with the team.
Viktor Arvidsson Turns Down a Return to the Boston Bruins
GettyViktor Arvidsson of the Boston Bruins.
That veteran would be winger Viktor Arvidsson, who came to Boston after a disappointing 2024/25 season with the Edmonton Oilers, but with the Bruins, he turned things around in a big way. Across 69 games played, Arvidsson tallied 25 goals and 54 points for Boston, becoming a key piece of their middle-six that brought solid depth and experience to a team that needed it in a big way.
That led many to believe he could return to the Bruins in free agency, but according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, he was offered a deal around two-years, $5 million, but given that he’s headed to free agency, he has seemingly turned down the Original Six franchise.
“Someone said to me that they heard that they heard Boston offered him like 2×5 or something like that,” Friedman said. “That obviously didn’t work, so we’ll see what happens.”
Viktor Arvidsson set to Test Free Agency
At 33-years-old, Arvidsson has played for a different team in each of the past three seasons, and after his best point total since the 2022/23 season with Boston last year, he looks like he wants to cash in on a long-term deal in free agency. However, given the lack of consistent production, there may not be teams out there that want to tie themselves up to Arvidsson long-term, especially given the role he’s settled into at the NHL level over the past three years.
On paper though, the Bruins are a fantastic fit for Arvidsson, as he could take up a role in their bottom-six for a team that appreciates a veteran presence, but with so many young players coming through the organization, he may not have seen this as his best path for either a long-term deal or significant playing time in 2026/27 and beyond.
Ultimately, there’s always the chance that he comes back around to the Boston deal if the market isn’t as robust as his team believe it could be over the coming days, but with very few big names available out there, there should be several contending teams that look at a player like Arvidsson as a solid piece in their bottom-six.
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