The Nashville Predators have signed restricted free agent Viktor Arvidsson to a seven-year deal worth $29.75 million.
On Thursday, Elliotte Friedman reported Arvidsson’s camp was looking for a one-year deal worth $4.5 million while the Preds wanted a more budget-friendly two-year deal worth $2.75 million. On the day Arvidsson and the Preds were slated for arbitration, a long-term deal got done.
It’s hard to blame either side, really. Arvidsson, 24, deserves a significant raise for certain. He tied linemate Ryan Johansen for the team lead in scoring last season with 61 and tied his other linemate Filip Forsberg for the team lead in goals with 31. His work ethic both on and off the ice would suggest he can put up multiple campaigns boasting similar numbers but, to be fair to Nashville, they’d like to see him duplicate that kind of production before truly rolling out the red carpet. After all, he’s only played 142 NHL games.
This contract appears to be a strong compromise for all parties.
Remember, this is a guy who had been passed over two summers in a row before he finally heard his name called in the fourth round of the 2014 Draft.
“Arvidsson is a ’93 in a draft of ’95’s and ’96’s so we’re talking about a late bloomer,” Poile said, referring to birth years, after that Draft. “But he’s an exciting player. He’s quick, he’s fast, he scores. Our guys think he could be one of the leading scorers in Sweden next year.”
He ended up not being one of the leading scorers in Sweden in 2014-15. He ended up being the leading scorer of Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, instead.
With Gaudreau and Aberg signing earlier this week, and now Arvidsson, Johansen and Austin Watson are Nashville’s only remaining unsigned restricted free agents.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Kristen Jerkins
