Just as the Kings 2023-24 season was about to get underway, GM Rob Blake announced that forward Viktor Arvidsson would likely need back surgery. After traveling with the team to Australia in September and playing in a few preseason games back home stateside, the 30-year-old forward hurt his back during practice, just as training camp was wrapping up and the team was preparing for Opening Night. At that point, he was placed on long-term injured reserve, allowing the team to recall a few players to help them round out their roster.
Mayor’s Manor has confirmed the surgery was completed and it’s been ruled a success. Also, the findings / results were similar to what was expected. This is good news, as we had initially reported a few weeks ago, the injury in question was similar to the situation that required his May 2022 back surgery, yet it was in a different location.
Just over a year ago, Arvidsson had a microdiscectomy procedure to fix a herniated disk. That news came right as the Kings were about to take on the Edmonton Oilers in the opening round of the 2022 NHL Playoffs. He eventually recovered over the summer and joined the team for their 2022-23 season, suiting up for 77 games and scoring 26 goals. He’s been a key part of the Phil Danault and Trevor Moore line, so his creativity and production will be missed to start the 2023-24 season.
From what we’ve been able to gather from a few of our sources, this is the same type of injury as before. However, it is not related to the previous one.
The Swedish forward remains out month-to-month. And until further notice, it appears Arthur Kaliyev will continue to hold down his spot in the lineup alongside Danault and Moore. For comparison, he recorded 59 points last season, fourth most on the team. Kaliyev (8) and Arvidsson (10) were similar in their power play goal totals, yet there was a wide disparity in their overall totals — with the latter deriving more goals 5×5 and more assists.
“{You’re} never going to replace a player like Arvy,” Blake said at the time he was moved to LTIR. “Very tenacious, generates a lot of shots, but keeps the team in it most of the time and gets guys going too.”
Since being acquired from Nashville in a July 2021 trade, Arvidsson has been a consistent offensive producer, pacing at about .75 points per game. He’s also in the final year of a seven-year contract carrying a $4.5M AAV.
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