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Canucks News & Rumours: Tolvanen, Söderblom & Seeking an Inexpensive Add

Eeli Tolvanen, Seattle Kraken (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

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Canucks News & Rumours: Tolvanen, Söderblom & Seeking an Inexpensive Add

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Aug 9, 2026 2:50 PM ET

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The Vancouver Canucks may not be finished adding to their roster just yet. At this point in the summer, there aren’t many obvious bargains sitting around, but this is usually when teams start looking a little harder at players who might have been overlooked or who simply don’t have a clear path with their current club.

In my research for today’s post, two names caught my attention. Eeli Tolvanen is still available and could be an interesting low-cost bet if Vancouver is looking for another winger. Then there’s Elmer Söderblom, a 6-foot-8 forward who could potentially become available on waivers if the Pittsburgh Penguins run out of room. Neither is a sure thing, but both are the kind of summer possibilities worth keeping an eye on.

Could Eeli Tolvanen Be the Canucks’ Next Summer Bargain?

I don’t know if the Canucks are planning to bring players in on professional tryouts this summer, but there are still a few interesting names sitting out there. One of them is 27-year-old Eeli Tolvanen. He scored 23 goals for the Seattle Kraken two seasons ago and still managed 36 points last season, even though his role changed considerably.

Maybe he wants more money than Vancouver wants to spend. Maybe there’s no interest on either side. Who knows? But if the Canucks are looking for one more winger, this is at least a name worth kicking around.

Tolvanen’s numbers suggest there may be a little more there than last season’s 12 goals indicate. Twenty-one of his 23 goals in 2024-25 came at even strength, and he was playing a tougher matchup role last season in Seattle. His five-on-five numbers were also better when he wasn’t playing with Chandler Stephenson.

That’s interesting to me because Tolvanen doesn’t necessarily have to come to Vancouver and carry an offence. Put him in a better situation, give him some offensive-zone opportunities and perhaps play him alongside Elias Pettersson, and maybe you get something closer to the player who scored 23 goals. He also brings some physicality and has spent time on Seattle’s penalty kill.

The question, of course, is what Tolvanen would cost. That’s probably the whole ball game here. The Canucks don’t need to spend big money on another winger, but if Tolvanen is willing to take a short-term deal at something around $1.8 million, I think it’s worth a conversation. Remember, Vancouver got Pius Suter for $1.6 million a year in 2023, and that turned out pretty well.

I’m not suggesting Tolvanen is the next Suter, but if Ryan Johnson can find another player who believes he has something to prove and is willing to take a reasonable contract to do it, why not take a look? Maybe Jamie Oleksiak can put in a good word for his former Seattle teammate. Stranger things have happened in August.

Could Elmer Söderblom Be a Waiver-Wire Gamble for Vancouver?

Every once in a while, a player comes along, and you wonder what he’d look like in the lineup. Elmer Söderblom is one of those guys. He’s 25 years old, 6-foot-8 and 252 pounds, so obviously the first thing you notice is the size. But there’s a little more to the story than that.

After struggling to establish himself with the Detroit Red Wings, Söderblom was traded to Pittsburgh and put up 10 points in 20 games after the move. That’s enough to make you wonder if there might be something there that hasn’t quite been figured out yet.

Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Elmer Soderblom (right) celebrates his goal with center Ben Kindel and right wing Anthony Mantha against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar in Game 5 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

The problem for Söderblom is that Pittsburgh has a lot of forwards. He could be sitting around 15th or 16th on the Penguins’ depth chart heading into camp, and that’s not a comfortable place to be when you’re a player who needs to clear waivers. The Penguins have reportedly been reluctant to put him in that position, but they may eventually run out of room.

If they have to make a decision and Söderblom ends up on waivers, I’d expect more than a few teams to take a look. A 6-foot-8 winger who has shown he can produce a little offensively is the kind of player you at least kick the tires on.

Why not the Canucks? They’d simply be taking a chance that a big, relatively young forward might develop into something useful in a different environment. There are obviously questions about his skating and consistency, and you don’t claim a player on waivers just because he brings size. But this is exactly the sort of low-cost gamble that can make sense for Vancouver.

If Pittsburgh decides it can’t keep him, I’d be curious to see whether general manager Ryan Johnson puts in a claim. You don’t see many 6-foot-8 wingers walking through the waiver wire every day.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

Neither Tolvanen nor Söderblom is going to change the Canucks overnight. That’s not really the point. Still, the Canucks are building a roster and finding one useful player at the right price can matter. If Tolvanen believes he can rebuild his value in a different role, or if Söderblom suddenly becomes available because Pittsburgh has too many forwards, the Canucks should at least be paying attention.

That’s probably the bigger point here. The best summer additions aren’t always the ones everybody is talking about. Sometimes they’re the players who need a different chance, a little patience or simply a place where somebody believes there is more to their game. Ryan Johnson doesn’t have to force anything. But if either of these two players becomes available at the right price, I’d certainly be interested in seeing what the Canucks could do with them.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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