While there is no final word on when the 2020-21 AHL season will start, Laval has brought back a capable veteran as they announced that they’ve re-signed Kevin Lynch to a one-year contract.
The 29-year-old signed with the Rocket late in training camp after missing all of 2018-19 due to injury and while he had a limited checking role early on, he was moved up the lineup as the season went on. Late in the year, he was often alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the top line as the defensive option on that unit. Overall, he played in 54 games last season, picking up seven goals and 14 assists.
Lynch is likely to have a role similar to the one he started 2019-20 with as a bottom-six option. Depending on the final cuts from the Habs, he’ll probably be battling the likes of Samuel Vigneault and Liam Hawel for a spot down the middle on the fourth line although his ability to play the wing should give him a leg up on those two.
In other Laval free agent news, winger William Pelletier has signed in Austria. Concussion trouble limited him to just seven games with the Rocket (plus two with ECHL Maine), a disappointing outcome after being brought in to provide some depth on the wing.
Lynch’s Stats: