Minutes after signing top prospect Berkly Catton to his entry-level contract, the Kraken also agreed to a two-year deal with RFA winger Eeli Tolvanen, reports Alison Lukan. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the contract carries a $3.475M cap hit.
Tolvanen, who joined Seattle a year and a half ago after being claimed off waivers from the Predators, has become a consistent top-nine player for the Kraken. The 25-year-old winger, a late first-round pick by Nashville in 2017, has averaged around 15 minutes per game and produced 0.53 points per game since his acquisition.
After setting a career-high with 18 goals split between the Kraken and Preds in 2022-23, Tolvanen's performance slightly declined last season. He still tallied 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 81 games, although falling short of expectations as he had scored 16 goals in just 48 games after joining Seattle the previous year.
Tolvanen's possession metrics were mixed, with Seattle controlling 50.8% of shot attempts and 50.3% of expected goals at even strength with him on the ice, both just below team averages. However, he remained one of their most physical players, ranking second on the team with 210 hits, behind only rookie Tye Kartye (229).
Despite not reaching the 20-goal mark Seattle hoped for last year, Tolvanen has established himself as a reliable contributor with potential for growth. This earned him a fair-value bridge deal, shorter and cheaper than the four-year, $4.345M AAV projection by Evolving-Hockey.
With Tolvanen signed, top center Matthew Beniers is the only significant RFA left for general manager Ron Francis to sign this summer. The Kraken have around $8.15M in cap space to work with, which could be tight after big free agency signings like Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson. A bridge deal for Beniers seems likely, especially since he isn't eligible for salary arbitration.
