David Poile Addresses the Loss of Eeli Tolvanen as Young Forward Succeeds in Seattle
The Nashville Predators' GM spoke frankly about placing Eeli Tolvanen on waivers and watching the Finnish forward excel for his new team, the Seattle Kraken.
General Manager David Poile spoke on the Robby and Rexrode show on 102.5 The Game this morning about the decision to place Nashville's 2017 first round draft pick Eeli Tolvanen on waivers and seeing the young player excelling since taking the ice in Seattle.
"This could be a mistake on our part," Poile said in speaking with Robby Stanley and Joe Rexrode Tuesday morning. "That's on me if he turns out to be really successful, but we thought we tried him in a lot of different areas, different places."
The Predators placed Tolvanen on waivers on December 11 and the Seattle Kraken picked him up, although David Poile had hoped Tolvanen would clear.
"We were really hoping we would get him through on waivers so that he could play in Milwaukee a little bit and then bring him back up, but we had to make some decisions."
Since joining the Kraken, Tolvanen has played in five games and recorded three goals and two assists. Two of Tolvanen's goals have been scored on the power play. Poile admits that playing on the man advantage in Seattle is a benefit for the Finnish shooter.
"I really believe if he is going to be successful he needs to play on the power play. He is getting that opportunity in Seattle, and for us he was just getting the second power play and some shorter periods of time to exhibit his offensive capabilities."
Placing Tolvanen on waivers was a bold move by the Nashville Predators, and Poile owning the repercussions of that decision is pretty bold after the fact. Eeli Tolvanen has been a lightning rod player for the Predators fan base, as many felt he was underutilized and overlooked on the roster. Losing a first round pick who was drafted with an impressive offensive reputation for nothing in return rankled many fans, and to see Tolvanen successful in Seattle is salt in the wound.
The move would perhaps be more forboding if Nashville wasn't improving as Tolvanen also thrives somewhere else. The Preds have earned eleven points in their last six games, and while Poile wishes Eeli Tolvanen nothing but the best in his future NHL career, Poile is focused on where the Preds are headed moving forward.
Again, he’s doing well," Poile said of Tolvanen. "Great for him. We’ve been doing better - not necessarily because of him, but because we’ve made a decision to go in another direction with different types of players. So time will tell how that works out."
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