Former Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen has found a new NHL home after spending four seasons in Seattle, where he turned a waiver claim into a productive 139-point tenure.
Eeli Tolvanen’s time with the Seattle Kraken is officially over.
The former Kraken winger has found his next NHL home, signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the New York Rangers on Wednesday, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been made public. PuckPedia was first to report the agreement.
For Seattle, Tolvanen’s departure brings an end to a four-year run that started with the Kraken taking a chance on a player Nashville had decided to move on from.
Tolvanen arrived in Seattle during the 2022-23 season after the Predators placed him on waivers. The Kraken claimed him, giving the former first-round pick an opportunity to reset his career.
He did more than that.
Tolvanen quickly became a useful piece of Seattle’s forward group and eventually established himself as a reliable source of secondary scoring. Over 288 games with the Kraken, he recorded 67 goals and 72 assists for 139 points.
Now, he is headed to New York, where the Rangers are hoping he can provide another offensive option in their middle six.
Tolvanen, 27, is coming off a 12-goal, 36-point season in 78 games with Seattle. Those numbers represented a step back from the 23 goals and 41 points he produced in 2024-25, but his track record as a capable complementary scorer made him an appealing option for the Rangers.
New York had interest in Tolvanen earlier this summer, and that interest ultimately turned into a contract.
For Tolvanen, it is another fresh opportunity. For Seattle, it marks the end of a tenure that began when the Kraken claimed him off waivers and gave him a chance to prove Nashville wrong.
Four years later, he leaves Seattle having done exactly that.
Now, he will try to do the same thing in New York.
