Eeli Tolvanen Will Only Be a Positive for the Rangers

The New York Rangers have added another piece to their roster. They signed free-agent forward Eeli Tolvanen to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. He was a player that many thought would be signed early in free agency, but he comes to New York in early September on a cheap deal. While some might question why the team brought in another middle/bottom-six forward, there are nothing but positives to take from this signing.

Tolvanen Adds Much-Needed Depth to the Roster

Throughout the offseason, one of the areas the Rangers needed to address the most was forward depth. While they did bring in players like Pavel Dorofeyev, Joe Veleno, and Oliver Bjorkstrand, it still felt like they were missing one more, and Tolvanen is the one they decided to target and eventually sign. This signing will allow the lineup to become much deeper and more balanced, and with training camp fast approaching, it will be interesting to see what head coach Mike Sullivan does with a forward core much improved from the end of last season.

The Rangers did lose players like Vincent Trocheck, Conor Sheary, and Johnny Brodzinski this offseason. This is why they needed to go out and bring in more players to help fill out the middle and bottom six of this lineup. Tolvanen will likely push a player like Tye Kartye down to the fourth line, which is where his game can succeed the most. Adding more depth is something no fan should ever complain about.

Allows Younger Players Time to Develop in AHL

This signing could potentially push younger players out of the lineup. While that might be the case, it also is not the worst thing if they go down to the American Hockey League (AHL) and play meaningful minutes with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Two players who played with the Rangers at the end of last season who might start in the AHL are Adam Sykora and Jaroslav Chmelar. They both played well in their short stints with the big club, and many thought they earned a spot to start on the Rangers this season. While they still could fight for a roster spot during training camp, it won’t be so bad if they do start in the AHL.

The Rangers will now have more forwards competing for fewer spots on the opening night roster. The team is trying to get back to being contenders, and while Sykora and Chmelar brought skill, speed, and size to the lineup, they might not be the best options for a team looking to win. If that is the case and they do start the season in Hartford, they are going to be getting top-six minutes on a new-look Wolf Pack team that now has prospects like Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin. Getting more playing time in the AHL is better than getting less than 10 minutes a night at the NHL level or even sitting in the press box.

Tolvanen Is a Low-Risk, High-Reward Signing

The Tolvanen signing is similar to Bjorkstrand’s, as both are coming off down seasons but have proven they can be good players in the past. Last season on a bad Seattle Kraken team, Tolvanen scored 12 goals and recorded 36 points in 78 games. The season before, he scored a career-high 23 goals in 81 games. He has proven that he can score 20 goals at the NHL level, and that is the kind of thing the Rangers are looking to get from their bottom-six forwards this season. He is also good defensively and quietly one of the more physical players in the NHL. He has recorded 112 points and 634 hits over the past three seasons, with only Tom Wilson and Brady Tkachuk having more hits and points over that span.

The Rangers made a good bet with this signing because if he can be the player he was two seasons ago, they are getting a 20-goal, 40-point type of player. Even if he is the player he was last season, Tolvanen is still better and will produce more offense than anyone the team had in their bottom six to end last season. If he doesn’t work out, it won’t be hard to move on from him, and if the team struggles again, they have a piece they can move at the 2027 Trade Deadline and get assets back. There is no harm done in making this signing, as Tolvanen is a low-risk, high-reward kind of player, and if the Rangers can get the most out of him, it will be looked at as one of the best signings of the offseason.

The Rangers have likely made their final move before training camp starts up in a few weeks. Tolvanen was a player many thought would have signed earlier, but for some reason, he didn’t, and the Rangers were able to bring him in on a cheap deal. This signing makes the team more competitive as they head into this season looking to become Stanley Cup contenders once again.