As you'd anticipate, day one of free agency saw a flurry of activity around the NHL in general and for the Edmonton Oilers in particular. Certainly there were plenty of talking points surrounding the moves they made (and didn't make).
The Oilers re-signed the likes of Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher and Adam Henrique, while Jeff Skinner was a notable new addition. They unfortunately did also lose players such as Warren Foegle and Vincent Desharnais to other teams (both expected, for what it's worth), but overall, Jeff Jackson and company did well.
In this respect, arguably the biggest move made by the Oilers, was the signing of Viktor Arvidsson. As per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, the deal is for two years and with a cap hit of $4 million per season.
An exciting signing for the Oilers
We won't go as far as to say the signing was a pleasant surprise. However, to get a top-six forward at such a fair price was a major coup for the Oilers, especially as an organisation with one of the worst projected cap space situations in the NHL for next season.
The addition of Arvidsson gives Leon Draisaitl the type of reliable linemate the Oilers have been searching for, for quite some time. The winger is hard-working, tough and will be good for close to 50 points per season if healthy.
However, that is potentially quite a big 'if', just based on the history of the 31-year-old. The reality is there have been concerns and doubts about his ability to avoid injuries throughout his 10 seasons in the NHL.
Along these lines, Arvidsson did not play this past season until Feb. 15, due to a back injury which limited him to 18 regular season games in total. His durability likely played a role in being available for such a reasonable price in free agency. (Although, as per The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman, the player has said he's now completely healthy.)
(Much) more positives than negatives with Arvidsson
Not that the Oilers are complaining, with them more than happy to give the undersized but tenacious Sweden native the opportunity to shine in Edmonton. In fact they've had an up-close view of what he's capable of, after facing him with the Los Angeles Kings these past two seasons in the playoffs.
Arvidsson was a constant pest to the Oilers during the two series. He also showed how productive he can be in the pressure of a playoff environment, with 10 points over 11 combined games.
If need be, the 2014 fourth round draft pick can play on special teams, both on the power play and penalty kill. However, the key is for him to try to avoid injury, which could be a challenge given his enthusiastic 'body and soul' approach to playing hockey.
Overall though this is an excellent signing for the Oilers, for a dangerous player who can be a points machine when healthy. Consider that just the season before last he produced 59 points in 77 games, including a career-high 33 goals.