The Nashville Predators have waived Eeli Tolvanen for the purpose of going to the AHL, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston.
Placed on NHL waivers today: Eeli Tolvanen (NSH).
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 11, 2022
Eeli Tolvanen Waived by Predators
Eeli Tolvanen hasn’t had a great start to the season, and the Predators, having waived him, seem to agree.
Tolvanen, 23, has four points in 13 games, with 4 PIMs and a +/- of 2. He had his best NHL season last year, recording 23 points in 70 games with Nashville. This will be Tolvanen’s third stint with the Admirals, as he spent parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the team, where he recorded 35 points in 58 games and 36 points in 63 games.
According to NHL Public Relations, the Predators also lose another forward, as Michael McCarron has entered the NHLPA Assistance Program and will be out indefinitely as he receives care.
Predators forward Michael McCarron enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
More information: https://t.co/Wqp4KZrK2X pic.twitter.com/gwzUkQjDmt
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 11, 2022
What This Means
Although he may sneak through waivers, Tolvanen is still young and has a lot of upsides. If he does get through, he can play a more significant role in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals. This hopefully gives him some more confidence and gets him to a point where he can be effective in the NHL.
As for McCarron, this isn’t a massive loss for Nashville, but it does hurt their depth to lose yet another player. Nashville is currently in the middle of a mediocre stretch and need all the help they can get.
Currently, the Predators have a record of 12-11-2, with 26 points. In their last 10, they have a 6-3-1 record, so seeing Eeli Tolvanen waived raises some questions.
The Predators also have a goal differential of -11 and need all the offence they can get out of their players. Although they have three players with 20+ points, they don’t have a lot of offensive depth so far and need some players to start stepping up and producing more points. If Tolvanen clears, getting him back up with renewed confidence could help that problem.
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