Just moments after the Florida Panthers announced their latest professional tryout, the Minnesota Wild got in on the action, signing Ryan Malone to a PTO. Malone has been out of professional hockey for two seasons, but perhaps his player-coach role in Da Beauty League this summer has made him yearn for the rigors of an NHL training camp.
While it remains extremely unlikely that Malone would make the Wild out of camp, perhaps he’s after an AHL contract to resume his playing career. Last suiting up for the Hartford Wolf Pack after a buyout by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Malone could also potentially be an option for Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Games. While that isn’t a very exciting proposition given his absence from professional hockey, he does have Olympic experience from the 2010 Games—where he won a silver medal—and was once a very effective power forward in the NHL.
With six seasons of 20 or more goals and 44 NHL fights to his name, Malone toed the line between sniper and enforcer for Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. He also has strong ties to Minnesota, where he spent four years playing for St. Cloud State and still lives with his family.