Tampa Bay Lightning sign Jesse Ylonen to one-year contract

After the Montreal Canadiens elected to not give Jesse Ylonen a qualifying offer on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning has signed the Finnish forward to a one-year contract worth $775,000.

The deal comes on the same day the Canadiens signed Alex Barre-Boulet, who previously played for the Bolts. Ylonen will be a restricted free agent at the end of this contract.

Ylonen, 23, was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Canadiens. He’s known for the speed present in his game and has shown some flashes of driving play from the wing at the NHL level for the Canadiens, but struggled to remain in the lineup consistently.

Ylonen, 24, had four goals and eight points in a bottom-six role with the Habs this past year. He had 16 points in 37 games the year prior while also registering 32 points in 39 AHL contests.

Over his career, Ylonen has played parts of four seasons with the Canadiens, totaling 12 goals and 29 points in 111 games. Additionally, Ylonen has been a solid AHL producer, scoring 34 goals and 85 points in 120 games with the Laval Rocket.

Now in Tampa, the former Finnish junior scoring winger will have a chance to prove himself with a new organization. Ylonen could potentially slot in on the fourth line as a solid energy forward at a cheap price.

According to CapFriendly, the Bolts have $6.725 million in projected cap space, with only new RFA defender JJ Moser left to sign. The club also offered qualifying offers to forward Waltteri Merela and goaltender Hugo Alnefelt, but neither will factor into Tampa’s NHL plans in 2024-25.