What Does the Future Hold for Eeli Tolvanen with the Seattle Kraken?
Rob Simspon of SeattleHockeyInsider.com joined Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com on the Full Press NHL Podcast and was asked about Eeli Tolvanen and if the Seattle Kraken will give him a long-term deal during or after the season is over.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Jim Biringer: “It seemed like the change of scenery revitalized Kakko Kaapo too, because it seemed like his time in New York was like it was done. It’s time to move on. You see guys that are familiar faces there, and Eeli Tolvanen is over there. They kind of had some chemistry. It feels like Tolvinen, and I’ve loved that pickup by the Seattle Kraken. Again, Nashville, what are we doing giving guys away that could have been your future?
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Hey, but one team’s lost another team’s gain, and I hope that’s a player that Seattle figures out. Hey, you know what, we can keep him, and he can help us in our future.”
Rob Simpson: “I did a piece not too long ago about Tolvi on SeattleHockeyInsider.com, just talking about the fact that he’s due to have a big season. He is Finnish. He had a great World Championship for Finland. He was left off the Four Nations Cup. Then he has an amazing World Championship. So his confidence is at a high. He has a contract year coming up, and he’s one of the five guys that will be looking for a new contract before next summer.
So it’s a pending UFA situation. I think he’s going to take advantage of that. He had a career high in goals last year with 23 of them. He’s been healthy the last two seasons. He’s played 81 games in both of the last two seasons. I think there’s a lot of things working in his favor, including the that fact he’s entering his prime. He’s a 26-year-old. He’s a guy who had a lot of expectations coming out of Finland back in 2017, and there’s just a lot of pressure.
There was a lot of opportunity. Nashville’s forward group is pretty stacked at that point. He might have been a little bit too cocky at that point. He’s grown up, he’s matured. There’s a lot of things working in Tolvanen’s favor. So I think this could be a big year for him. And I think of those five free pending UFAs that will be coming around, he might be one of the first to sign. Just because I think if he starts out like gangbusters, they’re going to want to lock him up for the long term.
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And we’ll see if he just wants to wait and play the market because there could be something fat waiting for him if he does, hang up, but I think the team, if he’s continuing the trend, they’re going to want to lock him up, and they’re going to pay him.”
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