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Why Eeli Tolvanen is still a free agent despite useful moments for Kraken originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Eeli Tolvanen remains a free agent, regarded by most as one of the five best players remaining in the pool who have yet to be signed by a new NHL team.
He's coming off a solid campaign with the Seattle Kraken, but it hasn't yet propelled him to a new opportunity.
It has some hockey fans on social media starting to question what the deal is.
Tolvanen is 27, and it seems safe to expect him to at least be this player for a few more seasons, right?
Clearly, though, NHL teams have decided Tolvanen isn't a player worth rushing for.
MORE:How a 3-team Dylan Larkin, Jason Robertson trade could work
Why is Eeli Tolvanen still a free agent?
There are likely a few factors here, starting with Tolvanen's size.
At a listed 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, it's hard to know how the defensive-minded forward will age.
He also generally hasn't made improvements offensively, at least by the surface-level statistics, which limits the feeling of Tolvanen having upside.
And while this stat isn't everything, Tolvanen was a career-worst minus-18 in 2025-26. There could be concerns about his overall ability to impact winning.
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