Kings acquire forward Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville

In what promised to be an active offseason for the Kings, they made their first significant move for 2022 before 2021’s champion had been crowned.

The Kings acquired right winger Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators on Thursday in exchange for a 2021 second-round draft pick and a third-round selection in 2022, General Manager Rob Blake said.

Arvidsson, 28, had spent his entire career with Nashville, including the 2016-17 season when he helped spark their improbable run to a Stanley Cup Final loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Arvidsson had a break-through campaign that season with 31 goals in 80 games, a mark he bettered two seasons later when he scored a franchise-record 34 goals in 58 games. Overall, he has accumulated 127 goals and 239 points in 385 career NHL games.

While Arvidsson thrived as a top winger for the Predators for three seasons, his last two campaigns have been less productive. In the pandemic-shortened seasons of 2019-20 and 2021, Arvidsson notched 25 goals and 53 points in 107 games as the Preds leaned more heavily on their defense corps for scoring.

Last season, his shooting percentage was a meager 6.6%, the worst of his career by far since becoming an NHL regular. While that could indicate decline at a relatively young age, Nashville lacked a top-flight center like Kings captain Anze Kopitar. Further, precipitous drops in shooting percentage are often followed by an above-average season, a progression toward a player’s mean.

Arvidsson was yet another superb find by Nashville’s European scouting, which also unearthed Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Roman Josi in the second round and well-rounded rearguard Mattias Ekholm in the fourth. Arvidsson, a Swede, had been passed over in multiple drafts before the Predators snagged him in 2014’s fourth round.

He remains a solid value at the pro level, carrying a $4.25 million cap hit for the next three seasons. Internationally, he won two championships in Sweden’s top pro league as well as a gold medal at the World Championships.

The Kings have been committed to improving their even-strength offense and production from wingers in particular. Already this offseason, they saw a potential target, the versatile forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, vanish from the list of available free agents when he re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for eight more years.

In 2021, the Kings ranked 27th in scoring and 29th in even-strength goals out of 31 franchises. They were one of just two teams to not record a six-on-five goal, joining the New York Islanders as the only teams that did not score with the goalie pulled. After a splendid start, the Kings’ power play tailed off in March and never recovered in what Coach Todd McLellan described as a “tale of two seasons.”

For Arvidsson’s part, he has always done most of his damage five-on-five, with 193 of his 239 points coming at even strength. He has also been a reliable penalty killer and racked up 13 shorthanded points.

Though undersized at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds, Arvidsson has never shied away from traffic or contact. He has a knack for creating traffic and finding rebounds, similar to former Kings winger Justin Williams. Arvidsson has also been an asset off the rush with his combination of opportunism and explosiveness.

While Arvidsson may not have Williams’ reputation for Game 7s, he does have considerable playoff experience. He has played in 61 postseason games across 11 playoff series, contributing 27 playoff points and elevating his possession numbers in the postseason. An upper-body injury limited him to just two games of Nashville’s first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in May.

In this deal, the Predators gain salary flexibility, Expansion Draft latitude – the Seattle Kraken will make their picks July 21 – and a high second-round pick this season as well as another selection next year. The Kings hope that they’ve expedited their rebuild with a seasoned veteran who could benefit from a change of environment.