Jesse Ylönen signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Canadiens on Monday. The 23-year-old Fin is coming off a career year, scoring six goals and 16 points in 37 games with the Habs this season. Ylönen also played 39 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, scoring 11 goals and 32 points.
The Canadiens agree to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with forward Jesse Ylönen.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/hQAlRaTuTk
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 31, 2023
Despite the two-way contract, Ylönen is not waivers exempt and, as such, will need to pass through the waiver wire if the Canadiens intend to send him to Laval. And at just 23 years old, it’s no guarantee he will go unclaimed. The Canadiens would certainly not want to lose him, especially for nothing, despite the log jam at forward.
Ideally, Ylönen has a great training camp, giving them no choice but to keep him in the NHL this year. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is still waivers exempt and can be sent down to start the year, and the Habs could send someone else down they’re more confident won’t get claimed.
The Finnish forward has shown flashes of the potential that made him a second-round pick by the Habs in 2018, but he’s struggled to put it all together at the NHL level just yet. Part of that has been the lack of opportunity, playing primarily in a bottom-six role. It’ll be tough for the Canadiens to find him more opportunity, but Ylönen can do a lot this pre-season to give them no choice, similar to what we saw Harvey-Pinard do during the regular season last year.
With more talent coming up the pipeline behind him, this could be Ylönen’s last chance to make a lasting impression in Montreal before the likes of Owen Beck and Joshua Roy begin competing for a spot on the team as well. If Ylönen wants to be a Canadien for the long haul, he must turn heads.
And if he does end up making it past waivers and ends up in Laval, he needs to show he’s outgrown that league and belongs in the NHL. That’s the next step he needs to take because even if the Habs don’t recognize it, another team might. Make no mistake, Ylönen did take a step forward last year, but he needs to take an even bigger one this year.