There’s no doubt that the Detroit Red Wings have the most question marks heading into the 2026-27 season. They are searching for a new General Manager, have an ongoing trade request from their captain, Dylan Larkin, a looming extension negotiation with Alex DeBrincat, and a new contract is needed for defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Despite having all that heavy lifting to do, that hasn’t stopped the team from looking to improve their roster to the best of their abilities.
In the recent DFO Rundown, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Red Wings are still on the hunt for another top-six winger, especially with Patrick Kane having departed for the Chicago Blackhawks. Pagnotta noted that Eeli Tolvanen is one of the wingers that Detroit has expressed interest in. Still, he didn’t specify whether that happened before or after the team announced that Steve Yzerman would be moving on as the team’s General Manager.
Regardless of the timeline, Tolvanen remains an unrestricted free agent more than three weeks after the opening of the free agent period. Of all the unrestricted free agents left on the board, Tolvanen is arguably one of the top wingers available and is also one of the youngest options available, which would give the Red Wings added flexibility. It’s unlikely at this point that Tolvanen would sign for a hefty payday, but it wouldn’t matter much for Detroit, which has nearly $20MM remaining in cap space (though that’s before signing Edvinsson, or responding to a hypothetical offer sheet).
On paper, the fit for Tolvanen in Detroit makes sense. He could easily join the Red Wings’ top-six, allowing the team to shelter youngster Emmitt Finnie more than they could last season. There’s no suggestion that Tolvanen is the missing piece for Detroit, but he would make them better, albeit mildly.
In all honesty, it’s hard to make up what Tolvanen is or could become. He was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, but has enjoyed the most success with the Seattle Kraken. Ultimately, Tolvanen’s performance declined so much with the Predators that the team decided to cut him loose, placing him on waivers, where the Kraken claimed him.
Throughout his three full seasons with Seattle, Tolvanen enjoyed a relatively consistent role in the team’s middle-six. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Tolvanen has scored 51 goals and 112 points in 240 games with a -30 rating, averaging 15:20 of ice time per game. Additionally, he became increasingly physical with the Kraken, which the Red Wings could use more of in their lineup.
Still, there’s no one area of the game that Tolvanen excels in, making him much more of a complementary piece, if anything. He’s never had the strongest possession or defensive metrics, and he’s only cleared the 40-point threshold once. Regardless, Detroit needs all the help it can get to ensure they don’t completely bottom out.
However, even if they do sign Tolvanen, the outlook of the franchise is as grim as it has been since Yzerman first took over as General Manager.