Montreal Canadiens forward Jesse Ylonen undeniably earned another contract last season as a pending restricted free agent (RFA). So, it’s no surprise he eventually got one, a two-way deal that pays him $775,000 in the NHL ($200,000 in the American Hockey League).
In fact, Ylonen probably had a case to earn a one-way deal instead, similar to Rafael Harvey-Pinard mere weeks ago. So, if Harvey-Pinard’s deal was impressive (and it was), as far as fans should be considered general manager Kent Hughes’ work regarding the Ylonen re-signing was doubly so. However, there’s an alternative school of thought that Hughes should have shown more confidence in him.
Ylonen vs. Harvey-Pinard
Harvey-Pinard was of course more impressive than Ylonen in 2022-23, with a ninth-ranked 14 goals (among rookies) in just 34 games (38 in his career). He added six assists for 20 points, while Ylonen had 16 points (six goals) in 37 games. However, even though Harvey-Pinard is older by nearly a year, Ylonen was drafted a year earlier and is technically more established as a prospect in the Canadiens system, with 52 career NHL games (21 points).
So, seeing as Harvey-Pinard got a one-way deal on the strength of an unsustainably high 24.1% shooting percentage in one season, Ylonen has a claim to a similar reward. After all, he’s arguably been on analysts’ radar as having a good shot at making an impact at the NHL level longer (from ‘Canadiens by the numbers: Jesse Ylonen offers more than meets the eye,’ Montreal Gazette, April 13, 2022).
There are obvious differences to their respective games. Harvey-Pinard does seem more versatile and able to play and up and down the lineup, but, again, that assessment is largely based on his ability to find the back the net last season, when he got significant ice time with Nick Suzuki on what became the team’s de facto top line.
Ylonen Destined to Be Cut?
To be fair, Ylonen also got time with Suzuki (and Harvey-Pinard), but to a much lesser extent. So much so that, due to his successful rookie season, many see Harvey-Pinard as a lock to make the team out of training camp, even if in large part due to the one-way nature of his contract. Harvey-Pinard complemented Suzuki so well that many even see him as being a short-to-medium-term solution on the top line alongside him and Cole Caufield. He is at the very least a potential top-six forward, based on his offensive success last season.
Related: Where Canadiens’ Harvey-Pinard Fits for 2023-24
Meanwhile Ylonen will be hard-pressed to usurp the likes of veterans like Joel Armia and Mike Hoffman just for a roster spot, due to the two-way nature of his contract. Granted, no one should delude themselves into thinking either Armia or Hoffman have more of a future in the organization than Ylonen (unless you’re realistically thinking Ylonen gets claimed off waivers once cut from training camp). Ultimately, there’s a case that the Canadiens should bury Hoffman to make roster room for someone like Ylonen. However, it’s hard to believe Hughes feels similarly based on the deal he just gave the soon-to-be 24-year-old Finn.
Ideally, Hughes avoids such a crossroads by trading away a veteran with a bad contract up front, because, to be clear, the Ylonen deal is just the opposite. It is a great one for the Canadiens, after which Ylonen remains a RFA. It’s just less than ideal from the perspective that the Canadiens seemingly still envision Ylonen as having to earn something, when he literally just outproduced Armia and could conceivably offer more in a bottom-six role.
Hughes continues to check off his offseason priorities with relative aplomb. The hope is/should be he uses the extra time he’s bought himself this summer to at least assure Ylonen a fair shot in training camp by making a much-anticipated trade to clear up a spot.
As it stands, it’s possible but simply unrealistic Ylonen plays his way onto the team based on its current make-up, the logjam up front and his new contract. He deserves that fair shot, just like he arguably deserved a better contract. It’s unfair one is so dependent on the other, but it’s a business at the end of the day. Come the end of next season, hopefully he’ll have earned more (standing within the organization to start), but that too unfortunately seems kind of out of his hands as a result, at least as things stand now.
