NHL Trade News: Olympic Star Eeli Tolvanen to Find a New Home with the Predators?
Eeli Tolvanen is making a strong case as a future NHL prospect, and he's making his presence known as a star for Team Finland in this year's Winter Olympics. With very impressive Kontinental Hockey League rookie season to his resume, the Nashville Predators are bound to be paying attention.
Tolvanen is just 18 years old, and he has plenty of upside in a league that's regarded to be only second to the NHL when it comes to hockey. Even as the youngest player this year, Predators General Manager David Poile is taking a hard look.
"He's the youngest player in the league and is breaking rookie scoring records," Poile noted, adding that it's a very good start for someone just in his first year in the league.
"Now he's playing in the Olympics, on their first line and power play. So for 18 years old, that's probably exceeding expectations. Could we have something there?" he added, as quoted by the Predators Fansided site.
Now Poile is saying that he would like to "leave open all possibilities" when it comes to taking in Tolvanen for his NHL debut. Even then, with the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline coming up fast, the team's front office looks to be a bit hesitant to pull the trigger.
"I think we're closer to doing nothing than to do something," Poile admitted when the topic of the trade deadline came up. That could be the GM's way of heading off speculation, as the Tennessean noted, but then again, it could be just as Poile said.
"You can't say today you'll never do this, and on Feb. 26, you do it," Poile added, noting for those present that as of now, the prospect, and the price that comes with it, is not yet exactly where they want it to be.
