The Chicago Blackhawks are being urged to bring in Eeli Tolvanen on a professional tryout agreement before training camp begins, and the case for doing it is simple: he is still unsigned. The forward remains one of the notable unrestricted free agents on the board, even after a season in which he showed he can score, hit and handle work in every situation.
That is why his name keeps coming up now. Tolvanen finished last season with 12 goals, 36 points and 187 hits in 78 games with the Seattle Kraken, production that would give any camp a player worth watching. He had been even more productive the year before, with 16 goals and a career-high 41 points in 81 games, then followed that with a career-best 23 goals, 35 points and 237 hits in 81 games in the 2024-25 season. Those numbers explain why a team trying to harden its depth would see him as more than a flyer.
The Blackhawks have already spent the offseason trying to add useful pieces, reuniting with Patrick Kane, trading with the Buffalo Sabres for Bowen Byram and adding Ian Cole, Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway as depth signings. Against that backdrop, Tolvanen fits the profile of a player who could be pushed into the mix without forcing a long-term commitment. He would give them another solid forward to watch at camp, and if he signed for the season, he could help the Blackhawks' top nine.
Still, the gap is hard to ignore. A player with Tolvanen’s recent output, edge and secondary scoring has remained on the market while training camp approaches, which means the decision is less about whether he can play and more about whether the Blackhawks want to act before another team does. If they want him, the cleanest path is a PTO now, not after the roster is already set.
For Tolvanen, the next step is no longer about proving he belongs in the NHL. It is about which team decides his combination of production and physical play is worth a closer look, and whether the Blackhawks are willing to make that look happen before camp opens.
