Through all the chaos of the Tampa Bay Lightning offseason, fans may have missed that the organization inked a deal with 24-year-old Jesse Ylonen in free agency. The winger was drafted with the 35th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 but has yet to live up to his full potential in the NHL. The deal was signed with low risk, only $775,000 for one year. Who is Ylonen, and what can Lightning fans expect from him this upcoming season?
About Jesse Ylonen
Just a few picks away from being a first-round selection, the Canadiens drafted the Finnish native and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In his draft year, Ylonen played for Espoo United, a junior team in Finland, where he recorded 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 48 games. Following his draft year, the winger jumped to the top league in Finland, Liiga, where he notched 13 goals and 27 points in 53 games.
Related: Canadiens Technically Make Free Agent Room by Not Qualifying Ylonen
Eventually, after a year and a half in Finland, Ylonen joined Montreal’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Laval Rocket, to close out the shortened 2020-21 season. In his first 29 games in North America, the Finnish native tallied nine goals and eight assists for 17 points. Moving forward, Ylonen has spent the past three seasons as a part-time NHL player, splitting minutes between the Canadiens and the Rocket. The forward was not given a contract offer from Montreal. Therefore, he signed a deal with Tampa Bay. Now, what has Ylonen done in his young NHL career thus far?
Ylonen’s Young NHL Career
Ylonen has appeared in 110 NHL games over the past three seasons, recording 12 goals and 29 points. He’s averaged roughly 12 minutes of ice time per game over that span, primarily in a bottom-six role. However, with a little opportunity as the sixth forward in 2023, the winger posted a career-best six goals and 16 points in 37 games. After all, that’s a given when his most common linemate at 5-on-5 that season was captain Nick Suzuki (via EvolvingHockey).
Once paired with depth pieces like Jake Evans, Ylonen saw his offensive production plummet. These results are reasonable and happen all the time in the NHL. Ylonen is a talented young player, but he’s not capable of driving his own line. Ultimately, these scenarios make players like Jake Guentzel valuable and worth a high salary. Guentzel can carry his line and drive even-strength offense at an elite rate.
His deep cuts and pivots make Ylonen a dangerous player on the offensive attack. He uses his soft mitts to create separation from opposing defenders, then can slide a pass into an open lane for a quality scoring chance. Ylonen has the skill to be an NHL-caliber player, but he could not string it together on a rebuilding Canadiens squad. He doesn’t have the play style or defensive game to be a full-time bottom-six forward or the consistency to play in a top-six role. The Lightning need more skill in their bottom six, but Ylonen isn’t suited for that role on the roster.
Reasonable Expectations for Ylonen
Ylonen didn’t break the bank for the Lightning, and this deal has some upside. At 24 years old, he may earn an opportunity on the second-line right wing for a few games under Jon Cooper. However, he is likely set for a part-time role in the NHL again and will split time between Syracuse and Tampa Bay as the 13th forward in case of injury. There is plenty of room for growth in the youngster’s game, and he will positively impact the Lightning this season under an improved coach and system.
Assuming the Lightning don’t make any more moves, a reasonable expectation is that Ylonen will play in about half the regular season contests for the Lightning this season. Say he plays roughly 40 games. Anywhere between 10-15 points is a fair estimation for the 24-year-old winger. This low-risk contract adds a touch of skill to a weak bottom-six forward group for the Lightning in 2024-25.
