Viktor Arvidsson: Excited to “Show What I Can Do” with LA Kings
By Ryan Cowley
The newest LA Kings player made his first appearance on Wednesday as Viktor Arvidsson spoke with the media for the first time since being acquired.
Under normal circumstances, July 1 marks the beginning of free agency. For the LA Kings, however, July 1, 2021, marked a key acquisition via trade. Last Thursday, the Kings acquired winger Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators.
On Wednesday, Arvidsson spoke with the local media about how he feels joining the silver-and-black and what he looks forward to next season.
“I’m really excited,” the 28-year-old said of joining the Kings. “I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me and for the team. We have something really upcoming, like with young players and all the players that really want to win and are hungry to win. So, I’m really, really excited to be a part of it.”
Something advantageous that Arvidsson brings to the table is his ability to play on either wing. In regards to a specific role, that remains to be seen as the Skelleftea, Sweden, admitted that he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to speak with GM Rob Blake or head coach Todd McLellan.
“We’ve talked a little bit, just, just saying hello to each other, and welcoming me to the organization and stuff,” Arvidsson noted. “But, nothing other than that, so that’s about it.”
All in good time.
Related Story. What the LA Kings should do post Viktor Arvidsson trade. light
As for looking for a new home, the Kings’ newest addition will take some time before making a decision.
“We haven’t looked too much,” Arvidsson admitted. We’re trying to figure out and talk to people on the team and around the team where to where to live and stuff. So, we haven’t really made any decisions or anything, so we’ll take it a little bit day by day and see where it takes us. But, we’re really excited for the climate and everything. it’s going to be awesome, I think. We’re just happy to be a part of it. Absolutely.”
Viktor Arvidsson hasn’t had much of an issue making up for his 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame as he has been blessed with high energy and great speed. In fact, it was partially thanks to the 28-year-old’s efforts that helped the Nashville Predators reach the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
En route to his former club’s playoff run, Arvidsson scored 31 goals and a career-high 61 points. He even reached the 30-goal plateau again (34 goals) in 2018-19. Since then, however, the winger has run into some injury concerns, which included a broken thumb. Nevertheless, Arvidsson is determined to be healthy as he kicks off his tenure in Los Angeles.
“I feel good, said the former Pred. “I feel like I’m taking care of my body to the highest level I can. Of course, as a hockey player, I think I speak for a lot of them, that you would never feel 100 percent. But, I feel great and I feel like I’m on the right track. Of course, I had some bad luck and some injuries that I couldn’t do anything about, but I’m on the right track. I feel like I still had a good season. If you look at how many scoring chances I created, how much I was involved in scoring, scoring chances for the team so I’m looking forward to [coming] to L.A. and show what I can do.”
And he did have a good season in 2020-21, scoring 10 goals — two on the power play — and added 15 assists to go in hand with a plus-9 rating.
Related Story. How the Viktor Arvidsson acquisition impacts expansion draft. light
As impressive as Arvidsson is on the ice, though, there is an ulterior motive to love the new winger for those Kings fans who are also animal lovers. He spoke about how he came into caring for animals, especially dogs.
“Well, my wife and [I] are really, really into dogs,” Arvidsson noted. “We’ve had dogs for her whole life and my family has had dogs. We kind of got into it and tried to help the local community in Nashville that rescued dogs and they needed some assistance, treating them, and having them fostered. We took four puppies and kind of had them for a week or two.
“We kind of fell in love with how [the Nashville animal community] rescue them from being alone on the street and stuff. So, we really enjoy it, we know we can help, so we kind of got into it. That’s the story about it.”
Overall, a very good first impression for Arvidsson with the Los Angeles media. The 28-year-old is the first offseason acquisition for the Kings this summer, but may not be the last, so be sure to stay tuned for more.
Until then, let us officially welcome Viktor Arvidsson to the LA Kings.