The offseason in the National Hockey League is well underway. The draft is less than a week out, the trade market is already piping hot, and free agency is just around the corner.

Unfortunately for the chaos agents out there, this year’s pending free agency class is rather thin. However, there are still plenty of names worth taking a look at. And someone who fits a lot of what general manager Kyle Dubas is looking for is forward Eeli Tolvanen.

Tolvanen was a first-round selection (30th overall) by the Nashville Predators back in 2017. A Finnish forward with lots of skill, scouts raved about his accuracy and shot.

He signed to play on a one-year deal in the KHL following his draft. After an incredible year in Russia as a teenager, where he scored 19 goals and 17 assists (36 points) in 49 games, as well six goals and an assist in 11 playoff matches.

Following the end of the KHL season, Tolvanen came over and signed his entry-level deal with Nashville. He actually appeared in three games for the Predators near the end of the NHL season, but averaged just 12:07 a night and didn’t record a point. Given that he suited up in the NHL as an 18-year-old in 2018, it’s a little interesting to see that he didn’t fully crack a lineup until the 2020-21 season.

Though he played four games in the NHL the next season, he played 58 games for Milwaukee in the American Hockey League, and spent the entire 2019-20 season there as well. In his first real NHL season, he registered 11 goals and 11 assists (22 points) in 40 games. Tolvanen almost mirrored those totals the following year, scoring 11 goals and 12 assists (23 points) in 75 games.

That downturn in his points pace continued the next season. After starting the 2022-23 season with a point in each of his first three games, Tolvanen hit a cold streak, and after just one point in his next ten games, Nashville waived him.

Seattle swooped in and picked him up. With the Kraken, Tolvanen had a better chance to develop as a forward. His production rebounded for 16 goals and 11 assists (27 points) in 48 games for Seattle, more than twice the point-per-game average he sported in Nashville that season.

In Seattle, Tolvanen was really able to develop into the type of forward the Predators envisioned him as. Ironically, he had to leave Nashville to do it. Tolvanen’s relationship with the Predators had become somewhat strained, including confusion on his role and the organization asking him to lose weight.

Over the last three full seasons with the Kraken, Tolvanen has averaged over 17 goals and 38.3 points per 82 games. Now, after coming off a 78-game season in Seattle where he scored 12 goals and added 24 assists (36 points), he looks to be hitting the open market.

And he’s exactly the type of player Dubas and the Penguins should be looking for.

In the short term, he’s a forward who can slot in at numerous places in Pittsburgh’s roster. As it stands right now, the Penguins have an open spot on the wing of their third line. Currently centered by last year’s 11th overall pick Ben Kindel, Tolvanen would represent an established forward who can contribute well in a middle-six role.

But that’s not to say that’s all Tolvanen could do. While ideally he’s likely a third-line forward for the Penguins, Tolvanen could easily jump up into the second line should injuries or demotions occur. Sidney Crosby also elevates almost every winger he has; in a pinch, Tolvanen could flank the captain.

His 12 goals were a near 50% drop from his 2024-25 total, but data suggests his goal scoring will pick back up next season. Tolvanen was nearly four goals below his expected 15.9, per MoneyPuck, and that 12-spot was under the 18.3 average he had in each of the last three seasons with the Kraken.

In the long term, Tolvanen is someone who can not only help the Penguins in this current stretch, but also maybe fit into the era that follows this current core Having turned 27 in April, Tolvanen can fit into the Penguin lineup as its currently constructed, but once some of the big names start to file out, Tolvanen will only be in his early 30s, at the latest.

At that point, the Penguins could either flip him and fully rebuild for the next era, or use Tolvanen as a pillar for whatever said next era should look like.

And, he might have a new voice advocating for him in Pittsburgh’s front office. Ron Francis, Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, is back with the organization as a special advisor. Francis served as the first-ever general manager of the Kraken, a post he held until last year.

Francis was the GM who claimed Tolvanen off waivers from Nashville, and gave him that two-year, nearly $7 million total deal that is now expiring.

The real question becomes what a contract for Tolvanen would look like. Even coming off a bit of a down year, he’s likely earning a raise on his $3.475 million a year he was making in Seattle.

At the time Francis signed Tolvanen to that deal, the forward’s salary accounted for 3.95% of the Kraken’s cap. If the Penguins signed him to that same cap percentage, that would pay Tolvanen $4.108 a year.

In such a weak free agency group, though, Tolvanen could fetch north to $5 million if his agent plays his cards right. If he is the Penguins’ guy, however, Dubas can afford to overpay a little to bring him to town.