Top 3 intriguing forwards on PTO for 2021-22 training camps
By Scott Cowan
![Nikita Gusev #97 of the Florida Panthers. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) Nikita Gusev #97 of the Florida Panthers. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/ed7458e1820f904c7a8020eeec8e5e88523f97c2bb04e665729a56446e8d486e.jpg)
PTO contracts are always, for me, one of the more enjoyable aspects of any NHL Training Camp. Otherwise known as a Professional Tryout Contract, PTO’s are used all over the pro hockey landscape, though, unlike the AHL or ECHL, NHL PTO’s are limited to only training camps.
Every once in a while, a PTO can lead to a subsequent one-year deal and even the occasional feel-good story here and there. Last season, current Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman signed a PTO with the St. Louis Blues, after having remained unsigned for most of the 2020 off-season. While the PTO was mainly to serve as a lead-in to his eventual one-year deal, other examples like Devin Setoguchi’s stint in L.A or David Booth’s in Detroit, show that PTO’s aren’t always throw away offers.
With training camps for the 2021-22 season set to get underway, teams have already been awash with their fair share of PTO players. So, with that being said, here’s a look at some of the PTO’s that have been signed around the NHL thus far.