The New York Rangers added some depth on the wing by signing Eeli Tolvanen to a one-year contract worth $1.5-million, per PuckPedia. Tolvanen posted 12 goals, 36 points, 141 shots, 187 hits, and 81 blocks with the Seattle Kraken in 2025-26. He is moving to a team that ostensibly should be better offensively than the Kraken, but they were very similar by 5-on-5 scoring last season, per Evolving Hockey.

Let's break down what the signing means for the player and team.

What New York Gets

At his best, few players can offer what Tolvanen does. From 2022-2025, he had similar goal scoring (0.93) and hit (11.1) rates per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 to Brady Tkachuk and Trent Frederic. The gap between those two players also highlights how things can go very poorly, very fast, for a physical player who is expected to produce.

When reviewing Tolvanen's 2025-26 season, the culprit for his scoring drop is shooting percentage. From 2022-23 through 2024-25, Tolvanen shot anywhere between 11-16% at 5-on-5, averaging 14% across those seasons. This past campaign, that number cratered to a paltry 5.4%. A modest rebound would see him add about five goals to the 12 he actually scored, and rebounding all the way back would push him to the 20-goal mark. If he's a guy who can post 20 goals, 40 points, 150 shots, and 200 hits, he's one of the most valuable depth multi-cat fantasy forwards around.

The question is where Tolvanen slots into the lineup. He is behind Alexis Lafreniere for top PP time, but the former Kraken winger has averaged just 10 PPPs every 82 games over the last three years. He can still be a 35-point multi-cat winger with just a handful of power-play points, so that's not a big issue.

The issue is ice time and where he lands. He is definitely behind both Pavel Dorofeyev and Lafrenière, and he's in the mix with Gabriel Perreault, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Will Cuylle. Two of those guys will get J.T. Miller as a centre, and two of those guys (probably) get Noah Laba. That matters.

Last season, Tolvanen was over 16 minutes a game. After the Artemi Panarin trade, New York's third winger by EVTOI per game was Will Cuylle at 13:50. Add maybe a minute per game of PPTOI for Tolvanen, and that's his barometer for ice time. We should expect 15 minutes a game (or less) rather than the 16+ he got last year. That isn't a big deal as he averaged 15 minutes a game across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns while also averaging 20 goals, 19 assists, 147 shots, and 226 hits every 82 games.

The Rangers have added an entire second pair in Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi. Centre J.T. Miller can't be worse than last year, and Mika Zibanejad showed he's still got some offensive juice. With guys like Dorofeyev, Lafrenière, and Adam Fox to skate with, Tolvanen should see an offensive upgrade. However, with a bit less ice time at even strength and on the power play, and uncertain lineup slotting, we shouldn't expect a big offensive uptick from him. Regardless, even if he's a 15-goal, 35-point winger, doing so with 150 shots and 200 hits keeps him a firm multi-cat value in any format.

This signing isn't great news for Tye Kartye. He was very productive after coming over from Seattle last year with 14 points in 24 games, but with Dorofeyev, Lafrenière, Bjorkstrand, Perreault, Cuylle, and now Tolvanen, there is a lot of winger competition. If everyone is healthy and playing up to their abilities, Kartye is probably heading for the fourth line. He is another guy who can provide fantasy value in banger formats, but a fourth-line role would take a 40-point season off the table. Tolvanen is basically taking the role Kartye was expected to fill.

Adding Tolvanen shouldn't impact the younger wingers like Perreault and Cuylle, but it does provide another roadblock for Liam Greentree. Greentree was a long shot to be a full-time NHLer this season anyway, but barring an outstanding training camp, he seems destined for the AHL before a late-season call-up.

Who This Helps

Noah Laba

Who This Hurts

Tye Kartye

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Liam Greentree