The Oilers organization had a busy first day of unrestricted free agency as they landed former Nashville Predators forward Victor Arvidsson, with the help of some current and former Oilers players.
According to Arvidsson, he was convinced to sign in Edmonton after hearing out Mattias Ekholm and Adam Larsson, who both stressed the Oilers as a great team to play for.
«First of all, I'm happy to be an Oiler and it's going to be really fun,» Arvidsson said via video call on Monday. «I think the group is great and they have something really great going for them here.
«The process was pretty straightforward. I had a few teams [interested], but I've known Ekky for a long time and our families know each other well. He convinced me pretty early and I think that was a big part of it too, so I'm happy and our family is really happy to join the team.»
Both men helped each other and bonded with their families as both from Sweden were brought to the predators to play in a North American market. Now after several years, both men are hungry to win the Stanley Cup and both feel that the Oilers are their best chance to win.
Arvidsson mentioned that he watched the Stanley Cup finals from Sweden and was cheering on his fellow countrymen as they hoped they would bring home the cup.
"He probably didn't want to play against me again, but, we were competitors," Arvidsson said with a laugh. "We battled a lot in practices before, so that's just a part of the game. He just told me it's a great place to be and where the team is heading, and he was really excited for me to come to Edmonton, so that helped a lot. Our families know each other well too."
Arvidsson secured a two-year deal with the Oilers for $4 million per season which is a great deal for the team considering the offensive output he can do.
Last year he was dealing with a major injury which kept him out for most of the season but during his time with Nashville in one season with LA, his output was great and improved greatly with the top six players he's working with.
If he can return to his output in 2022, he scored 26 goals that year and will likely score more if he remains healthy.
