The man they call “Tolvy”, now ex-Kraken, Finnish winger Eeli Tolvanen, signed with the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
From the Pacific to the Atlantic. Not divisions, but oceans. He’ll actually be playing in the Metropolitan Division for a team trying to figure out what the hell went wrong last season under head coach Mike Sullivan.
The club in Gotham, playing at the “World’s Most Famous Arena”, finished dead last in the Metro last spring and has undergone a bit of an overhaul. Part of it will be the arrival of the feisty Finn, a former Kraken who led the Seattle regulars last season with 187 hits. His offensive numbers dropped off under his third coach in three seasons, Lane Lambert.
Tolvanen was a heavily touted teenage hockey player in his native country, especially after he helped Finland win the 2019 World Junior Championship, an annual tournament he played in three consecutive years. He also played in the Olympics in 2018 (6th place) and 2026 (won the Bronze Medal).
After being drafted 30th-overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2017 NHL Draft, Tolvanen found it tough breaking into that line-up. After three-plus average to underachieving seasons, the Predators waived the then 23-year-old in December, 2022. The Kraken snagged him and the change of scenery and opportunity worked wonders. He potted 16 goals and added 11 assists for Seattle in 48 games during the 2022-’23 season, helping the club to its only-ever trip to the postseason.
Since then, the change of scenery for him and the rest of the club has been in the dressing room, the coaching office and in management.
He posted 41, 35, and 36 points respectively the last three seasons and appeared to be expendable at age-27 with the Kraken planning a youth movement.
He signs with New York as an unrestricted free agent for one year and $1.5-million, an almost two million dollar pay cut from last season.
It’s time for the former Finnish phenom to prove himself once again.
Earlier Seattle:
— Big Time Kraken – NHL Talk With TV’s John Forslund
