Puckpedia.com reports the Rangers are closing in on a one-year, $1.5 million contract with UFA right wing Eeli Tolvanen. The 27 year-old Finn was not resigned by the Seattle Kraken after spending the last four seasons with the club, and had remained unsigned over the Summer.
For Chris Drury, Tolvanen adds a little more scoring punch to a team that is still looking for ways to replace the offense lost in the trades of Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck over the past six months. While Tolvanen is more likely to be a third liner, he does bring a little more scoring to the team, and projects to be a 35-40 point type of player.
HOPING FOR A BOUNCE BACK
A little undersized in today’s NHL at 5-10 and 182lbs, Tolvanen nevertheless played in all situations for the Seattle Kraken, ranking fourth in terms of ice time for both even strength and short handed time, as well as fifth on the power play. He does have some goal scoring ability though, having put up 23 goals two seasons ago, and a solid 18 in 61 games two seasons before that.
Coming off a down season last year, where he managed just 12 goals, the Rangers will be hoping for a rebound that puts him closer to the 20-goal pace that he’s managed in three of his six previous seasons. You’d expect the player to be fairly motivated too, after taking a $2M pay cut to come to the Rangers late in the Summer.
LINE-UP IMPACTS
With Tolvanen likely slotting in on the third line, it likely means either Taylor Raddysh or Tye Kartye are pushed down to the fourth line. It could also mean either one could face being a healthy scratch, or even demotion to Hartford. Another player who could be affected is Jaroslav Chmelar. The young Czech is still waiver-exempt and was already at risk of starting the year in the AHL, but is more likely now to go there along with Adam Sykora.
You also have to wonder whether this indicates that Chris Drury never really got close to finding a deal to move Braden Schneider for a top-six forward. Not surprising really, given that teams are probably more interested to see what they have in camp at this stage than to make a last minute move.
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