Rangers sign intriguing UFA forward to 1-year contract

The New York Rangers added more depth to their forward group on Wednesday, signing Eeli Tolvanen to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, the team announced.

The 27-year-old went unsigned through the first two months of NHL free agency, but the Finnish winger will be headed to the Big Apple for the 2026-27 campaign.

Originally selected 30th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2017 NHL Draft, he spent more than half a decade in the organization before being placed on waivers in December 2022 and subsequently picked up by the Seattle Kraken.

That’s where he’s spent the last three and a half years. It’s been steady if unspectacular production; Tolvanen scored 41 points in 81 games in 2023-24, 35 points in 81 games in 2024-25 and 36 points in 78 games last season.

He set a career high with 14 power-play points in 2025-26 while adding 178 hits and 81 blocked shots. The former ranked second on the team among Kraken players, while the latter was the highest among Seattle forwards.

He’s the only player in the National Hockey League to record at least 100 points, 600 hits and 200 blocked shots over the last three seasons.

Overall, he’s managed 190 points in 423 regular-season games with the Predators and Kraken, along with nine points in 21 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

He should now compete for a spot in the Rangers’ top six, which was boosted by the additions of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Pavel Dorofeyev this summer.

It’s a low-risk signing, giving New York an inexpensive veteran forward who can potentially provide middle-six scoring, special-teams help and physicality. If he finds his offensive game again, the Rangers could end up getting considerably more value than the $1.5 million price tag suggests.

It’s been somewhat of a roster makeover in New York, as Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth after months of rumors, in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi. Fellow blueliner Marcus Pettersson was also added in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, while Joe Veleno — who spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens — was signed to a one-year deal on July 1.

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last two campaigns, the Rangers begin their quest to return to the postseason on Sept. 29 against the Boston Bruins.

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