I have been a fan of Viktor Arvidsson for a long time. I think he’s an underrated player and I love the way he plays the game.

He’s a regular pickup for me in franchise mode in the NHL video games (which, for me, is an incredible sign of loyalty), and now the Pittsburgh Penguins would have the chance, should they choose to, bring Arvidsson in.

The 31-year old is a pending unrestricted free agent, coming off of three years with the Los Angeles Kings that saw him put up 123 points in 161 games, or 0.76 points per game.

He arrived in Los Angeles in 2021 in an offseason trade that saw him be acquired in exchange for a second and third round pick heading back to his draft team, the Nashville Predators.

Arvidsson had many successful seasons in Nashville, including playing a pivotal role in their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, where he and the Preds ultimately lost to Pittsburgh.

That run netted him a seven year contract extension that accounted for $4.25 million against the salary cap, and is the same one that is concluding this summer on July 1st.

His first season post-trade with the Kings saw him put up 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 66 games.

He followed that up with 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 77 games during the 2022-23 season, and was above a point per game in the playoffs for LA that year, which saw them fall to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.

This past season, however, saw him spent most of the year injured. Back surgery kept him out for the first half of the season, and upon returning he promptly wound up back on the injury report.

He made his season debut on February 15th, but only lasted four games before he left early on the 20th (after just one shift) and missed another month.

He was able to get routinely back into game action exactly a month later, appearing for LA on March 20th and playing consistently from then on. As a result, he only got into 18 regular season games for LA this season, but he was rather productive in that limited time.

He tallied 6 goals and 9 assists for the Kings, and in April he recorded 10 points in 9 games while averaging 17:49 of ice time a night.

In the postseason, which once again saw LA fall to the Oilers in round one, Arvidsson had 3 points in 5 games as his Kings were quickly dismissed by a Final-bound Edmonton team.

With injuries riddling his season, his price on the open market could take a serious hit, opening himself up to a cheaper deal with limited term, sort of a “show me” deal.

If that is the case, he is the type of player that the Penguins need to pounce on. He could be a key middle six forward for a Pittsburgh team that needs to add depth on their wings, especially as they plan to shed the contract of the underperforming Reilly Smith.

When healthy, Arvidsson is routinely a 50+ point player, and to get one at a possible discount is incredibly valuable.

In addition to that, he could boost a power play that was extremely detrimental to the Penguins’ playoff ambitions. Arvidsson scored 10 power play goals for the Kings in 2022-23.

That figure was one below the team lead for the Penguins that season (a three-way tie between Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell, and Jake Guentzel) and would have tied for the team lead on the Penguins this season, with Sidney Crosby.

He is not the young winger that Kyle Dubas is probably aiming to acquire as he tries his best to rebuild the Penguins on the fly, but he is worth extending an offer to as he comes off an injury-filled season. Given his career track record, it’s a solid bet that he returns to form as a ~50 point guy, assuming he can stay healthy.

He’s near the top of my list of players that I hope Dubas and the Penguins can take a run at.

(Featured photo by David Becker/AP)