Edmonton Oilers Forward Unexpectedly Named to Team Sweden 4 Nations Faceoff Roster

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Liam McCormick
December 4, 2024 (12:52)

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Team Sweden has unveiled their full roster for the upcoming Four Nations Faceoff tournament, including Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm and surprisingly, forward Victor Arvidsson.

Team Sweden selected Arvidsson despite his scoring struggles this season, and his major setback with an undisclosed injury.

The 31 year old Swede is in his first season with the Oilers after signing a two-year contract for $4M each season.

Through his career, Arvidsson has been a steady offensive producer when he's in the lineup. The biggest problem for Arvidsson is just staying in the lineup, and the Oilers are seeing that problem.

Arvidsson was originally listed as a game time decision, and then has gone on to miss 14 straight games. It's a pattern in his career that Arvidsson has been injury prone, as he's only played over 65 games 4 times in his 11 seasons in the NHL.

Not only that, but Arvidsson's offence has totally dried up this season, despite playing next to superstar Leon Draisaitl in most of his minutes. In 16 games, Arvidsson has only 2 goals and 5 points.

Team Sweden must have additional information about Arvidsson's injury that made them comfortable with selecting him to the tournament scheduled to begin in February. That's a good sign for the Oilers too, knowing that Arvidsson won't be out for the very long term.

Mattias Ekholm is the other Oiler named to Team Sweden, and that selection was absolutely expected. Ekholm has been one of the most consistent 2 way defenders in the NHL in his time with the Oilers, and has proven he can play next to elite talent like Sweden's roster.

It'll be very exciting for all hockey fans to see the return of best on best international hockey with the Four Nations faceoff, as a warmup for the coming Olympics in Milan. Oilers fans can cheer for both Connor McDavid on Team Canada, or Ekholm and Arvidsson on Team Sweden.