Even if the organization does not completely close the door on a return of Jesse Ylönen, it seems that his time with the Canadian is over.
During a press briefing on the eve of the NHL draft, the club’s vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, indicated that the Finnish forward would not receive a qualifying offer in the coming days. He will therefore become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
A second-round pick in 2018, Ylönen never managed to demonstrate that he could play in the NHL on a regular basis, despite numerous chances to demonstrate his know-how.
Arriving in North America in 2021, he was able to adapt his game to that of the American League, amassing 70 points in 91 games in his last two campaigns with the Laval Rocket. The next step, so far, has seemed too high.
With his contract expiring these days, he was going to become a restricted free agent. To retain his services, the Habs had to submit a qualifying offer, an administrative formality that will be done, unsurprisingly, with defenders Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj.
As we now know, that won’t happen. Ylönen will instead be able to try his luck with another club.
“We talked to his agent, and he felt he needed to get a fresh start somewhere else,” Jeff Gorton said. We’ll see what happens, and if nothing comes up for him, he’s a player we like and know well. But at this point in his career, if he wants to try something else, we’re OK with that,” Gorton continued.
The door, therefore, remains open, although we can easily deduce that management does not see him in the lineup that will begin the 2024-2025 season in Montreal.
