Viktor Arvidsson had no intention of going anywhere. Even if he had been approached about a trade prior to Friday's deadline, he had a full no-movement clause he could have used to block it.
Things never got to that point, because the Bruins also had no intention of trading Arvidsson. Sure, he's a pending unrestricted free agent. And maybe when Boston got Arvidsson from Edmonton in the summer for a fifth-round pick, general manager Don Sweeney might have had the idea in his mind that he would be able to flip Arvidsson for a better pick at the deadline if the Bruins' season was trending in the wrong direction.
That hasn't happened, though. The Bruins are in a playoff spot with 20 games remaining, and Arvidsson has been a big reason why. He showed his value again on Saturday, scoring the winning goal in Boston's 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals, the Bruins' 12th straight win on home ice.
Early in the third period in a 1-1 game, Hampus Lindholm made a great play to break up a Washington zone entry, and then Casey Mittelstadt sprung Arvidsson on a breakaway that he finished off against Logan Thompson.
It was Arvidsson's 18th goal of the season, third-most on the team behind only Morgan Geekie (34) and David Pastrnak (22). His 13 five-on-five goals are second behind only Geekie's 18, as he now has two more than Pastrnak. His 25 five-on-five points rank third behind only Pastrnak (37) and Geekie (28).
Arvidsson has been a mainstay on the Bruins' second line with Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha, a line that has been Boston's best and most consistent all season. In the 398 five-on-five minutes they've played together, the Bruins are now outscoring opponents 27-12. The only line in the entire NHL with a better plus-minus this season is the league-leading Colorado Avalanche's top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm has consistently called Arvidsson the "motor" of that line, and did so again after Saturday's win.
"He's the motor, but also I think he's the guy who's pushing the other guys," Sturm said. "It's just a good mix. They play against the top lines, they shut them down, but also find a way to score. They're all different, and all have pretty good hockey IQ. They've all been around a long time. So, I think it's just a combination. That's why they've been my most consistent line all year."
Sturm said he never had any doubt that Arvidsson, whom he also had when he was an assistant coach in Los Angeles, would still be a Bruin after the deadline.
"I knew already he's not going anywhere," Sturm said. "I'm just happy because he plays the right way and he cares. He's one of those guys that gets really mad when things are not going his way, but that shows me that he cares a lot. He cares about winning, and he cares about this team, and he's caring about doing everything he can to help this team. He did it again today, so I'm just happy he's still here and he's going to be a big part of a big stretch coming up."
Arvidsson is happy, too. After battling injuries the last couple years, including multiple back surgeries, and never finding his footing in Edmonton last season, he's found his place in Boston and gotten back to playing the way he always believed he was capable of playing.
"Obviously, I've liked it here all year," Arvidsson said. "We're playing good. What can I say? I'm just happy to be here, and I'm doing everything I can for all these guys around me to push for the playoffs."
It's a relationship that could end up extending beyond this season. Sweeney said on Friday that he has talked with the agents for Arvidsson and fellow pending UFA Andrew Peeke about potential extensions. Sources have indicated that the interest in extending Arvidsson, in particular, is real, and that it's possible something gets done sooner than later.
Arvidsson, for his part, said he's not worrying about any of that at the moment.
"I don't know. I haven't really gotten to that point yet," he said. "I think I'm just more focused on this group and what we're going to do this year, and we'll see what happens in the future. I'm just trying to play as good as I can out there and provide leadership to this group, and just go from there."
That approach has been working just fine, as further evidenced on Saturday.