Expectations for Lightning's New Forward Jesse Ylonen – Hockey Writers – Lightning's Making

In all the chaos of the Tampa Bay Lightning offseason, fans may have missed that the organization struck a deal with 24-year-old Jesse Ylonen in free agency. The winning player was drafted with the 35th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 but has yet to reach his full potential in the NHL. The deal was signed at a low risk, only $775,000 for one year. Who is Ylonen, and what can Lightning fans expect from him this coming season?

About Jesse Ylonen

Just a few picks away from a first-round pick, the Canadiens drafted Finnish native and forward 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. After his draft year, the winger jumped to Finland's top league, the Liiga, where he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 53 games.

Related: Canadiens Technically Make Free Agent Room For Ylonen

Finally, after a year and a half in Finland, Ylonen joined Montreal's American Hockey League (AHL), Laval Rocket, to close out the shortened 2020-21 season. In his first 29 games in North America, the Finnish native scored nine goals and eight assists for 17 points. Moving on, Ylonen spent the last three seasons as a part-time NHL player, splitting minutes between the Canadiens and Rockets. The striker was not offered a contract from Montreal. So, he signed a contract with Tampa Bay. So, what has Ylonen done in his short NHL career so far?

Ylonen Young's NHL career

Ylonen appeared in 110 NHL games over the past three seasons, recording 12 goals and 29 points. He averaged about 12 minutes of ice time per game in that span, mostly in the bottom-and-six role. However, with little chance as a sixth forward in 2023, the winger posted a career-best six goals and 16 points in 37 games. After all, that was a given that his regular 5-on-5 partner that season was captain Nick Suzuki (via EvolvingHockey).

After being paired with depth pieces like Jake Evans, Ylonen saw his offensive production decline. These results make sense and happen all the time in the NHL. Ylonen is a talented young player, but he can't drive his own line. Ultimately, these situations make players like Jake Guentzel valuable and worthy of a higher salary. Guentzel can carry his own line and run a strong offense at a high rate.

His deep cuts and pivots make Ylonen a dangerous player in the offensive attack. He uses his soft mitts to create separation from defenders, then slides a pass into an open lane for a scoring opportunity. Ylonen has the ability to be an NHL-caliber player, but he hasn't been able to integrate it into a rebuilding Canadiens team. He doesn't have the style of play or the defensive game to be a full-time striker who plays in the 6 log or the consistency to play the six role. The Lightning need more talent in the bottom six, but Ylonen doesn't fit that role on the roster.

Ylonen's Reasonable Expectations

Ylonen didn't break the Lightning's bank, and this deal has a positive effect. At 24 years of age, he may get a chance on the second right wing in a few games under Jon Cooper. However, he is likely to play a temporary role in the NHL and will split time between Syracuse and Tampa Bay as the 13th forward in case of injury. There is a lot of room for growth in the youth game, and he will have a positive impact on Mbane this season under an improved coach and system.

Assuming the Lightning aren't moving, the expectation is that Ylonen will play about half of the Lightning's regular season games this season. He says he played about 40 games. Anywhere between 10-15 points is a fair estimate for the 24-year-old midfielder. This low-risk contract adds a touch of talent to a weak bottom-six Lightning team in 2024-25.