The Seattle Kraken have piled up bottom-9 wingers and it appears Eeli Tolvanen will not be one of them.
He’ll officially become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1st. Club management will spend that day looking for a more productive replacement.
The 27-year-old saw his shooting percentage and goal total drop last season to about eight-percent and 13, down from 16-percent and 23 the season before.
Tolvanen played for three different head coaches during his three-and-a-half seasons in Seattle. Last season it was under “defensive minded” Lane Lambert.
“Tolvy” was a fan favorite at Climate Pledge Arena because of the fact he was one of the harder Kraken to play against. He was second on the team in hits with 187. Ultimately, one might describe him as your prototypical, understated, feisty Finn.
Tolvanen burst on to the Seattle scene when then general manager Ron Francis snagged the winger off waivers from the Nashville Predators in December of 2022. The former 30th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft was desperate for a new location and an opportunity and his acquisition was considered a big win.
In the partial season that unfolded, Tolvanen potted 16 goals and added 11 assists over 48 games. He added three goals and eight points in 14 playoff games.
In a smaller sample size, Bobby McMann, who just signed a six-year contract with the Kraken after scoring ten goals in 18 games at the end of last season, pulled off something similar.
Apparently there’s no room for the Vihti, Finland native, raising speculation that the club might be trying to put together a last minute deal for UFA veteran forward Jaden Schwartz. Otherwise, the competition on the wing in Seattle would presently look like this:
Jared McCann, McMann, Jordan Eberle, Kaapo Kakko, Freddie Gaudreau, Ryan Winterton, Berkly Catton, recently acquired Mackie Samoskevich, Jacob Melanson, and three or four others like Melanson and Winterton battling to make the full time hop up from the American Hockey League. At least one of the players on that list will play in the middle.
Keep in mind, the Kraken are looking to add another winger or two via free agency.
They kept four pending unrestricted free agents at the March trade deadine rather than moving them for draft picks or personnel. Captain Eberle signed a new two year deal. Tolvanen, D-man Jamie Oleksiak, and potentially Schwartz will all walk away for nothing.
Tolvanen might end up with the Red Wings.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Ghosted By ESPN’s 1st-Round Draft Coverage
