The Detroit Red Wings have a gem on their hands in Viktor Arvidsson.
Arvidsson is third in scoring for the Red Wings with 15 points in 18 games. He's currently playing at a 37 goal, 70 point pace. To say he's a force to be reckoned with is an understatement. But it isn't just the scoresheet where Arvidsson is showing up. Hockey Alchemy released a spreadsheet today detailing the impacts free agents have had on their new teams.
You might notice a familiar face below:
Whose New Additions Are Paying Off?
— Hockey Alchemy (@hockeyalchemy) November 8, 2026
Let's rank NHL teams by GAR for the players they acquired during the off-season
Congrats to #ALLCAPS and #NJDevils for leading the way, while the #Blackhawks and #LetsgoOilers are getting negative value
Doesn't include value given up but… pic.twitter.com/mIhLqt8rZJ
The big green bar on the right by Detroit is the Swedish winger himself. Only two other players have added more Goals Above Replacement (GAR) to their new rosters: Brady Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Jack Roslovic of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tkachuk, of course, is scoring above a point per game with 20 points in 18 games. Roslovic, on the other hand, plays on a line with Auston Matthews, one of the top players in the NHL.
Arvidsson shares his line with Lucas Raymond - who shares the team's scoring lead with Alex DeBrincat - and Andrew Copp. Copp, while a relatively inoffensive center, doesn't provide the kind of oomph someone like Matthews or, in Tkachuk's case, Sam Bennett does.
That's what makes Arvidsson such an exciting addition to the team.
The elephant in the room
While looking at the graph above, you probably saw the big red line on the left side for Detroit. This is due in part to two culprits: Daniil Tarasov and Keegan Kolesar.
To be fair to Tarasov, his share of the blame is an extremely tiny hit. It's not much of his fault, either -- he's currently running with a .919 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average. It's the team in front of him that's led to his 2-3-2 record. Tarasov has shown that he's more than capable of taking on a bigger role in the starter's crease. In a case like Tarasov's, it's best to let the season play out. The advanced stats will catch up with him.
In the case of Keegan Kolesar, though, things get a little tougher.
Kolesar a disappointment thus far
Keegan Kolesar was brought on for one reason: pure physicality. He's delivered 46 so far this season, just behind Andreas Englund (47) and rookie phenom Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (79). The biggest issue right now is that, beyond hits, Kolesar isn't bringng much. While with the Vegas Golden Knights, Kolesar could be relied upon for at least a few points a season.
So far in Detroit, he has just one goal in 18 games.
If there were other depth players performing, this wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, the Red Wings just don't have that luxury. This, in turn, has eaten into Kolesar's minutes, relegating him to just 10:17 a night.
If he continues to fail to show up on the scoresheet, there's a chance he finds himself on the opposite end of the healthy scratch list.
That said, if Kolesar can turn it around, he'll be one of the best success stories of the season.
Here's to hoping the latter happens over the former.
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