Detroit Still Has Work to Do. Here’s Why Eeli Tolvanen Should Be Next.

The Detroit Red Wings offseason started with a gut punch and somehow kept rolling. Dylan Larkin wanted out. That’s a fact. The captain made it clear he was done in Hockeytown, and that kind of thing doesn’t just disappear because you make a few roster moves. It hangs over everything.

Detroit went into the 2026 NHL Draft without a first-round pick. On paper that looks bad. But Steve Yzerman flipped Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth for the 23rd overall selection and grabbed JP Hurlbert, a winger out of Kamloops in the WHL. So the draft wasn’t a total wash.

Then July 1 hit and the Red Wings went to work. They signed Viktor Arvidsson for two years. They brought in Daniil Tarasov from Florida as a backup goalie. They traded two picks to Vegas for Keegan Kolesar. That’s three moves that each address something specific.

Arvidsson fills a need for five-on-five scoring. He put up 25 goals and 54 points with Boston last season, most of it at even strength. Detroit needed that. Kolesar brings the grit factor. The Red Wings had nights where they just felt flat, where nobody pushed back when somebody took a run at Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond. Kolesar won’t let that happen. He’s not a star but he doesn’t have to be.

Here’s the thing. Yzerman hasn’t done his end-of-summer press conference yet. That usually means he’s not done working. And there’s still one guy out there who could check two boxes at once.

Eeli Tolvanen makes too much sense for this roster

Tolvanen is 27. He turned his whole career around after Seattle claimed him off waivers in 2022. With the Kraken he became a reliable top-six option with a real scoring touch. Last season was a step back — 12 goals, 36 points — but his track record is solid. More than two-thirds of his goals in Seattle came at even strength. That’s the kind of depth Detroit needs, especially with Larkin gone.

He also hits. A lot. Tolvanen has thrown at least 180 hits in each of the last three seasons. Last year he delivered 187. That would have led the Red Wings by a wide margin. So you’re getting a guy who can score and punish people. That’s not easy to find.

It’s a little surprising he’s still unsigned. Reports say he’s looking for term on his next deal. That might be the holdup. If he’s willing to take a one-year prove-it deal, Detroit should be all over it. He’d get a chance to rebuild his value on a team that needs exactly what he brings. The Red Wings are trying to make the playoffs in 2027. A smart short-term bet on Tolvanen could help get them there.