Eeli Tolvanen is still sitting on the open market, and the Detroit Red Wings just became the team most connected to signing him.
Per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on the DFO Rundown, Detroit has expressed interest in Tolvanen as a top six option.
The need is real. Detroit's search for a top six winger picked up urgency once Patrick Kane left for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kane still delivered for Chicago, posting 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points across 67 games at age 37.
Replacing that kind of production isn't simple, and Pagnotta's report frames Tolvanen as the logical name still on the board.
Detroit has already been busy in free agency, adding even strength scoring by signing Viktor Arvidsson.
Arvidsson delivered 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points in 69 games this past season, and his cap hit sits at $4,000,000.
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Arvidsson's arrival was only the first piece for Detroit
Detroit finished 41-31-10 for 92 points last season, 16th overall, still stuck in a playoff drought that's stretched on for years.
Adding Tolvanen alongside Arvidsson would give this top six real teeth, two wingers brought in specifically to fix the same hole in the lineup.
At 27, Tolvanen would be one of the younger names Detroit has added this summer, and that timeline flexibility matters for a rebuild still finding its footing.
More than three weeks into free agency, a winger of his caliber still being unsigned is the kind of detail that raises eyebrows around the league.
That gap between talent and availability is exactly why Detroit's front office sees an opportunity here.
Would more ice time and better linemates actually get more out of Tolvanen than Seattle ever did? Detroit is betting the answer is yes.
Nothing is signed yet, and Pagnotta's report describes interest, not a done deal.
But between Arvidsson already in the fold and Tolvanen reportedly next on the list, Detroit's top six is starting to look like it's being built with real intent.
Should the Red Wings sign Eeli Tolvanen to fill their top six winger need?
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