Advisors Tipped Kraken GM Francis Into Acquiring Tolvanen

Waiver Pickup Eeli Tolvanen Solidified Seattle's 3rd Line

Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis doesn't just surround himself with good people, as CEO Tod Leiweke recently pointed out. Francis actually listens to them.

The mid-season waiver acquisition of winger Eeli Tolvanen is Exhibit A. "Truth be told, I get the credit because I sit in the GM chair," Francis said on Sportnet's The People's Show podcast.

Tolvanen poured in 16 goals in 48 games after joining Seattle on December 12, 2022. The Finnish winger added 3 more in the playoffs.

Eeli had shined on the big stage at the 2018 Olympics, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists in 5 games for Team Finland. Those offensive flashes are why the Nashville Predators made him their 1st round pick, 30th overall, in the previous summer's draft.

But after 5 seasons with the Predators, the AHL, the KHL, and the pressbox as a healthy scratch, Nashville gave up on him. Francis wasn't entirely sure Seattle should provide him a new NHL home.

"I was really torn on the decision, wasn't sure I really wanted to do it. My management team was pushing hard. At the end of the day, we decided to go forward."

Francis speculated, "Maybe some teams stayed away because of the extra year on his contract." Tolvanen will earn $1.45 million in 2023-24, the final year of that deal.

"It can be an issue (trying to add players) if you get into 'cap hell.' Part of our plan was trying to maintain the cap space, to see if we could take advantage.

"I remembered seeing him play (early in his pro career), and he had a bomb of a shot. A smart, talented player. So we made the (waiver) claim; fortunately enough, we got him."

The Kraken allowed Tolvanen a couple of weeks to learn the team's systems. "Once he entered the lineup," Francis said, "it just seemed to solidify our roster - that third line, with him and Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

"Not only could they play against the other team's best lines and handle them defensively, they also produced offense, which was a nice bonus for us."