Eeli Tolvanen is looking like the kind of late-summer pickup that can quietly change the feel of a lineup.
The Rangers liked the 27-year-old forward all offseason, but they waited until the money and the term lined up for them. Tolvanen wanted a multi-year deal, didn’t get it, and wound up taking nearly a $2 million annual cut. New York got him on Sept. 1 on a one-year “prove it” contract worth $1.5 million.
Early returns have been strong.
Tolvanen has fit cleanly on the Rangers’ third line with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle, bringing a mix of size, skill and edge that has already paid off. He leads the Rangers with three goals and takes a three-game goal streak into Tuesday’s matchup with the Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
Two of those three goals came into an empty net, including one in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth. That still says something about how the Rangers are using him. Coach Mike Sullivan is trusting Tolvanen in late-game situations, with the goalie pulled and the opposition pressing in a 6-on-5.
“I’ve been really impressed with Eeli Tolvanen’s hockey IQ,” Sullivan explained Monday. “He’s got a sound defensive conscience.
He’s in the right positions a lot. He’s got a good stick.
He’s physical for a guy that’s not that big, he’ll bang bodies, and he’s also willing to block shots. He’s brave.
He plays a courageous game.”
Sullivan didn’t even get to the scoring in that rundown, which tells you plenty about what the coach values most. Tolvanen did score a career-high 23 goals two seasons ago with the Seattle Kraken, but right now the emphasis is on everything else he’s bringing.
That third line has also been doing a lot of the dirty work. In the first four games, it started 15 of its 31 face-offs in the defensive zone, with nine in the offensive zone and seven in the neutral zone.
That’s a heavy assignment, and it’s helped take some pressure off 33-year-old centers J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.
The shifts haven’t always been clean. At times, that line has been trapped in its own end for long stretches.
The numbers back up some of the struggle, too: in 32:27 of 5-on-5 ice time so far, the Cuylle-Laba-Tolvanen trio has an expected goal share of 27.85 percent and has been out-chanced 27-14. Still, the results have been manageable, with the line on the ice for one goal for and one against at 5-on-5.
And when the game gets late and the net comes off, Tolvanen has become the guy to watch. Right now, he’s the Rangers’ most reliable finisher in that exact spot.
Elsewhere around the Rangers, there’s plenty moving. The club placed Matthew Robertson on waivers after Joe Veleno’s injury update, and the situation opens up a chain of questions about how New York got here and what comes next.
Hartford Wolf Pack coach Jay Leach also praised Rangers prospect Cole Beaudoin after the 20-year-old piled up five points in his first two professional games over the weekend.
In goal, Igor Shesterkin opened the 2026-27 season in style and was named NHL First Star of the Week on Monday.
There’s also movement on the prospect front overseas, with Mikkel Eriksen scoring his first goal in the SHL in Sweden, and New York’s week ahead includes a pair of games against Metropolitan Division rivals.
Around the NHL, Alex Ovechkin made his retirement decision official. ESPN reported that the all-time NHL goal-scoring leader will play his 22nd NHL season and then retire at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
In San Jose, Macklin Celebrini’s lower-body injury and the Sharks’ flat showing without him drew attention after a 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Florida coach Paul Maurice pushed back on reports that Sasha Barkov is out 10-12 weeks with a knee injury, saying the captain is still being evaluated and that no one should bet against him missing less time than rumored.
TSN reported that Ron Hainsey, representing the NHLPA, strongly objected to Gary Bettman’s recent criticism of no-trade and no-move clauses.
And in Ottawa, Linus Ullmark left his start against the Boston Bruins on Monday after he “tweaked something” in a collision with J.J. Peterka. New Jersey, meanwhile, is planning to swap in Jesper Boqvist on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth and scratch Stefan Noesen.
In Other News...
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Cuylles play is also pushing the Rangers toward an uncomfortable but familiar kind of conversation for a contender with cap constraints. The team already has multiple key players in line for new deals, and Cuylle is expected to be part of that future on a contract that could run as long as seven years. With other young pieces due for major extensions too, the front office may soon have to decide just how much of its next core it can keep together. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Opened A Real Door For A Top Young Forward
A short-term roster move has created a fresh opening for one of the Rangers most closely watched young forwards. With Joe Veleno moved to injured reserve because of a lower-body issue, New York had to dip into Hartford for help, and that brought Cole Beaudoin back into the conversation after a strong start in the AHL with the Wolf Pack.
Beaudoin, who was sent down after training camp, got the call and stepped into the lineup for his NHL debut against the Islanders. For the Rangers, it is the sort of injury-driven opportunity that can change the look of a depth chart quickly, and for Beaudoin it is a chance to show he can carry his Hartford form to the next level. [Read more 🡒]