The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Eeli Tolvanen to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $3.47 million a season.
The Seattle Kraken Sign Tolvanen
GM Ron Francis announced the deal during development camp
2 x $3.475M for Tolvanen https://t.co/ANyUAlQlqP
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 5, 2024
The 25-year old has scored 32 goals and 68 total points in 129 games for the Kraken. Tolvanen was picked up off-waivers from Nashville partway during he 2022-23 season. Tolvanen settled into his role with the Kraken. Furthermore, Tolvanen helped the Kraken reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2022-23.
Tolvanen One of Many Offseason Moves.
The Kraken have had a busy offseason. The team signed defenceman Brandon Montour, bringing a star defenceman to the team. The team is not expected to be done yet. Restricted free agent Matty Beniers is still in need of a contract. Moreover, the Kraken have about $8.16 million left in cap space following the signing. That is plenty to sign Beniers and possibly one more player. The Kraken appear set on defencemen, so they could try to bring in another forward.
If General Manager Rob Francis wanted to clear up more cap space for additional moves, the Kraken do have a surplus of fourth-line forwards that could be moved. Brandon Tanev, Tye Kartye, John Hayden, Yanni Gourde, and Shane Wright are expected to compete for fourth line roles this season.
New Contract Concludes Tolvanen’s Time as a RFA
This offseason was the last one for Tolvanen as a restricted free agent. The two-year deal also takes him through his first year of unrestricted free agency. The Kraken think highly of Tolvanen. It is possible that if Tolvanen can continue to produce, the Kraken would be willing to give to give him a contract extension. Even if the Kraken do not, the levels of productivity from Tolvanen that he has been putting up, would be enough to get attention from other NHL teams.
Main photo credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
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