The Montreal Canadiens have been very quiet in free agency this off-season. The only new players they added through the free agent market so far this summer are Samuel Poulin and Ethan Samson, both of whom are expected to play for the Laval Rocket. 

However, with the off-season being so young, there is still plenty of time for the Canadiens to add new talent through the free agent market. When looking at the remaining unrestricted free agents (UFAs), one player who the Canadiens should consider taking a flier on is forward Eeli Tolvanen. 

It is a little surprising to see Tolvanen still available for the taking. The 27-year-old is a solid top-nine forward who provides a nice mixture of secondary offensive production and grit. With this, he would have the potential to be a good fit on many teams, including the Canadiens. 

If the Canadiens signed Tolvanen, he could slot well in their middle six. He would also give them another player who works on both the penalty kill and power play because of his solid all-around play.

In 78 games last season with the Kraken, Tolvanen posted 13 goals, 36 points, and 187 hits. This was after he scored a career-high 23 goals and posted 35 points in 81 games for Seattle in 2024-25. He also had over 200 hits during both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

With all of this, Tolvanen could be a good player for the Canadiens to sign to a short-term deal. It will be interesting to see if they make a push for him from here.