Nashville Predators: Eeli Tolvanen making transition to NHL ice

Eeli Tolvanen went from learning his craft in Milwaukee to the Nashville Predators’ second line. How is he handling the transition to the NHL?

Many Nashville Predators fans expected Eeli Tolvanen to be on the roster from the very first game. His performance in the KHL last season had us all excited about his potential. We didn’t think it would take long before Tolvanen was in Nashville & scoring goals on a regular basis. We had to wait for a little bit, as Tolvanen was sent to Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee pretty early on in training camp.

People were disappointed at first, but it was what it was. As it turned out, Tolvanen had some early hiccups in Milwaukee and didn’t exactly light the world on fire. Nothing wrong with that, it just showed that maybe our expectations for a nineteen-year-old were a little too high. If Tolvanen needed some time in the AHL to figure things out, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

More from Editorials

• Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
• How the Nashville Predators Have Trended over Past Five Years
• Three Reasons Nashville Predators can Shock the World in 2023-24
• Three Different Outcomes for Juuse Saros’ Future with Nashville Predators
• Top-5 Nashville Predators Home Games to Attend for Upcoming Season

Sometimes players don’t get time to develop. Circumstance leads to them being pushed too early. The Nashville Predators got bitten hard by the injury bug early this season. Right now, three of Nashville’s top six forwards are on Injured Reserve. With Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson & Kyle Turris out of commission, the Predators need people to fill those spots.

Eeli’s coming

Tolvanen got the call. He was placed on the second line with Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith for sink-or-swim learning. Maybe that wouldn’t have been management’s first choice, but Peter Laviolette had to work with what was available.

It worked out pretty darn well in Tolvanen’s first game with Nashville in the 2018-19 season. He scored his first NHL goal 3:32 into last Saturday’s meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a great showing for an undermanned Predators team, and Tolvanen was a key part of it. Tolvanen added an assist ten minutes later to help extend Nashville’s lead. During his 15:48 on the ice there weren’t many moments where he looked like he didn’t belong.

The new-look Nashville Predators had another solid showing on Monday night against the Buffalo Sabres. Tolvanen wasn’t involved as much in this game, only spending 10:20 on the ice and not popping up anywhere on the scoresheet. He did get one hit! Thursday night…well, the less said about that game for everybody the better. Tolvanen did get two hits & a block, and was on the ice for 15:53, cracking the top half of Predators in that category.

Not the best, but not the worst

Tolvanen’s first game was the obvious high point so far. His other two games haven’t been terrible though. His line with Jarnkrok & Smith has been productive & hasn’t given up too many goals or turnovers. He’s spent a lot of time on the side controlling the puck during his time on the ice, with a CF% of 61.7 at the moment. That’s probably not sustainable, but it’s a good sign. Tolvanen’s made some nice plays on defense & hasn’t looked lost on that end of the ice as many rookies do. You’d probably like to see him take some more shots, and with Smith on the line with him, those can be tough to come by.

All in all, you have to be happy with Tolvanen’s first three games. He’s been put in a tough spot due to circumstances beyond his control. We’d prefer to have Forsberg, Arvidsson & Turris out there on the top two lines. Tolvanen isn’t going to give us what they usually do, at least not yet. He is getting some key experience here, and maybe it helps them get to their level down the road.

Has he earned a spot on the team going forward? I’d wait a few more games before deciding on that. It’s looking good so far!