Only a glance at the New York Rangers‘ lineup paints a clear picture of where the team’s main issue lies. The Blueshirts have now addressed it by adding an intriguing piece to their top-nine forward group ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season.
“Not finalized just yet, but closing in. [The Rangers] adding 27-year-old Eeli Tolvanen to the mix,” Mollie Walker of the New York Post stated. According to PuckPedia, the deal got done on a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
The 27-year-old right winger is coming off a 36-point season in the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Although far from a household name, Tolvanen has built a steady resume in the last seasons. Tolvanen didn’t get off to a hot start with the Nashville Predators, but found his footing with the Seattle Kraken.
Still, he was allowed to walk into free agency by the Kraken and could take things to the next level in the Big Apple. Over the last three seasons, Tolvanen registers 112 points thanks to 51 goals and 61 assists.
Eeli Tolvanen during a game.
NY Rangers need depth scoring
Averaging only 2.87 goals for per game—10th worst in the NHL last season—the Rangers know they must turn things up a notch in that department. Of New York’s 235 goals last season, 35 belong to former stars Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.
Somebody will have to make up for that lost production, likely newcomers Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Moreover, most of those goals came from the top-six forwards, with Mika Zibanejad (34 goals), Gabe Perreault (12), Alexis Lafreniere (24), and J.T. Miller (17) accounting for most of them.
In fact, only 171 of New York’s 235 goals last season were scored by players still in the organization. That means 50.9% of last season’s goals came from the four-man group of Zibanejad, Perreault, Lafreniere, and Miller. Tolvanen may help as he can provide goals while playing in the bottom six. He did lose his scoring touch last season, dropping from a career-best 23 goals in 2024-25 to a 12-goal output in 2025-26, but could find his mojo in the City That Never Sleeps.
In which line will Tolvanen play in New York?
That remains to be seen, but it’s likely he could join the highly effective third line alongside Noah Laba and Will Cuylle. Tolvanen could replace Taylor Raddysh in that group. A top-six role may be too much, at least on paper and before he even hits the ice in New York.
On the other hand, Tolvanen, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, may not be the best fit for the energetic fourth-line. Having Matt Rempe patrolling the ice could help him, but it still feels like Tolvanen would be better off on another line, and the third line appears to be the best natural fit.
