How a 27-Year-Old Former Kraken Fills the 26-27 NY Rangers Final Offseason Need
It’s official: the New York Rangers play hockey this month! Heading into the 26-27 season, Chris Drury has made this Rangers team quite unrecognizable compared to just four and a half months ago. Acquiring key additions such as Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, and Marcus Petterson has made fans even more excited for Rangers hockey to return compared to just one year ago. Even with all the moves this offseason, there was still one need for these Blueshirts. While most assumed Drury to be done, he pulled off one final move that we know of, which may have just filled their final offseason need.
While their defensive issue had certainly been addressed, there was still a need in their top nine, more specifically, another piece in their middle six. Drury certainly remembered this and looks to address it by signing UFA Eeli Tolvanen to a $1.5 million, one-year deal. Coming off his fourth season with the Seattle Kraken, he’s proven himself as a player who knows how to score when he gets hot. Although the 27-year-old has been quite inconsistent when it comes to scoring, recording only 12 goals last season compared to his 23 goals during the 24-25 season, he comes to MSG hoping to provide some solid depth scoring in the middle six.
A solid pickup overall from the Blueshirts, not only because Tolvanen is a solid player on both sides of the ice, but also because it's another short-term deal that can be dealt with easily through the season. Looking to find themselves back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this upcoming season, there's always the chance that not everything goes right, no matter how they look on paper. If everything fails this season yet again for the New York Rangers, the 2017 first-round pick is another player on this Rangers team that can be used at the trade deadline for potential assets. As the right winger looks to slot into the Rangers lineup on opening night, where exactly does the winger slot in?
As September 29th approaches, the Rangers will head to Boston to open their season against the Bruins, hopefully sending a message to fans everywhere that this season will be quite the turnaround. With their first line almost certainly figured out, the question is whether Tolvanen works best on the second or third line. Most likely, that third line will have the Finnish winger's name on it, which will most likely push Taylor Raddysh down to the fourth line. Skating alongside Will Cuylle and Noah Laba, New York begins the season with contributions all around, and that third line is looking quite solid.
Overall, a pretty great pickup for the Blueshirts: a solid player with a solid background to help contribute in the top nine. With training camp quickly approaching, the move unfortunately makes it quite unlikely that fans will see many of their favorite prospects skate in the NHL to start the season. Prospects like Cole Beadoin and Liam Greentree will need to absolutely blow the evaluators away to at least be considered for a spot. While there's still time for Raddysh to be dealt with, fans should expect to keep an eye on the Wolf Pack this season to see how their favorite prospects develop before taking the ice in MSG. The 26-27 season is just under four weeks away, and with an upgraded middle six looking to hop on the ice, it's yet another piece of the New York Rangers to look forward to.
