The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year contract on the opening day of free agency in the NHL. The team also announced a number of additional signings on Monday.
Arvidsson is well known to the Oilers, having spent the past three seasons with Pacific Division rivals the Los Angeles Kings, a team Edmonton has played in the past three-straight post-seasons.
In a news release, the Oilers said Arvidsson’s contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million.
Arvidsson missed much of the 2023-24 regular season with an injury but produced an impressive 15 points in 18 games. Against the Oilers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the Swedish winger accumulated three points in five games.
“I’m 100 per cent,” Arvidsson told reporters on Monday after the signing was announced.
“I know people are concerned about that, but I’m the only guy who knows my body and I feel great and I feel confident. This is going to be a great year and I’m going to play a lot of games.”
In his time with the Kings, the 31-year-old scored 52 goals and had 123 points in 161 regular season games.
Arvidsson began his career with the Nashville Predators where he spent several seasons as a teammate of Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm.
“He probably didn’t want to play against me again,” Arvidsson joked, noting that Ekholm helped convince him to join. “I think that was a big part of it too.
“It’s going to be fun and exciting to have some snow again.”
Arvidsson also spoke about the Oilers being “built really well.”
Edmonton made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2023-24 season before losing in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers.
“I feel like they were really close this year and I hope I can help the team move even further,” Arvidsson said.
Oilers sign Josh Brown to 3-year deal
The Oilers also added a six-foot-five, 220-pound player to their defence on Monday, announcing the signing of blueliner Josh Brown.
Brown, who put up 10 points and 75 penalty minutes in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, signed a three-year contract with an AAV of $1 million.
The right-shot defenceman has also spent time with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers since he began his NHL career in the 2018-19 season.
Since that time, the 30-year-old Ontario native has played in 290 career NHL regular season games, scoring 11 goals, chipping in 23 assists and collecting 296 penalty minutes.
Oilers add Delia to goalie depth chart
The Oilers also bolstered their goaltending depth on Monday, signing netminder Collin Delia to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000.
The 30-year-old native of California has played in a total of 52 NHL regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks since 2017.
In that time he has accumulated a 19-18-7 record with a goals-against average of 3.51 and a .897 save percentage.
Brown re-signs with Oilers
One of the Oilers’ key penalty killers who gained praise for his performance during the team’s 2024 Stanley Cup Final is staying in Edmonton.
The Oilers announced Monday that the club has re-signed winger Connor Brown to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1 million.
The 30-year-old signed as a free agent with the Oilers last summer. Coming off a major injury the season before, he played 71 games for the Oilers during the 2023-24 regular season, scoring four goals and chipping in with eight assists.
It was in the playoffs that Brown truly shined. He was on the ice for 19 playoff games and scored two goals with four assists for six points. He also led Edmonton with three shorthanded points.
The Ontario native has played with Toronto, Ottawa and Washington over the course of an NHL career that has seen him play 519 regular season games, scoring 94 goals and 134 assists.
The Oilers also announced the re-signing of James Hamblin, Noel Hoefenmayer and Noah Philp on Monday.
Perry extending lengthy NHL career
The Oilers also re-signed 39-year-old veteran forward Corey Perry to a one-year deal that carries an AAV of $1.4 million and includes bonus incentives.
Perry joined the Oilers in the middle of the 2023-24 season, signing a contract with Edmonton in January.
In 38 regular season games with the Oilers, he scored eight goals and put up five assists.
Perry, who won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, has been on multiple teams that have made it to the Stanley Cup Final.
During the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run, he played in 19 games, scoring one goal and being credited with two assists. The goal he scored ended up being the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Over the course of his NHL career, Perry has played in 1,311 regular season games, scoring 429 goals and racking up 905 points. He has also played in 215 playoff games during his NHL career.
Before joining the Oilers, Perry had spent time playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Anaheim.
Hamblin signs 2-year deal
The club signed Hamblin to a two-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
The 25-year-old, who hails from Alberta’s capital, split the 2023-24 season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate.
With the Oilers, Hamblin played in 31 regular season games in 2023-24, in which he scored the first two goals of his NHL career.
In his career, he has played 41 regular season games with the Oilers.
Hoefenmayer agrees to 1-year contract
Hoefenmayer, a 25-year-old defenceman who was originally a fourth-round draft pick for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
He spent last season in Bakersfield.
Former Golden Bear re-signs with Oilers
Philp, a 25-year-old forward whose resume includes having spent 2019 to 2022 with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, signed a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Before joining the Oilers organization, Philp spent four seasons of his hockey career playing with the Kootenay Ice and Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.
Qualifying offers tendered
On Sunday, the Oilers announced the club had tendered qualifying offers to restricted free agents Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and Raphael Lavoie.
Over the weekend, the club also announced it had placed goaltender Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout.
Two years ago, Campbell signed a five-year, US$25-million contract. Last season, he lost his starting goaltender role with the Oilers to Stuart Skinner and was demoted to the AHL.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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