Jesse Puljujarvi is in no rush to leave Finland.
According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, the Edmonton Oilers restricted free agent wants to finish the season on Oulun Karpat in the Finnish Liiga even if the team could work out a deal that would move him before the Dec. 1 signing deadline.
“Right now, everything fairly quiet around Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi,” Johnston said during the Headlines portion of Hockey Night in Canada. “And it’s my belief that he wants to remain in Finland even if he is dealt.”
Puljujarvi didn’t sign his qualifying offer with the Oilers after bouncing back and forth between the NHL and AHL in his first three seasons with the Edmonton franchise. The 21-year-old made a trade request over the summer after three disappointing seasons in Edmonton, where he never was able to carve out a role in the top-six forward group.
The forward has 11 goals and 24 points over 25 games in the Liiga this season. His contract with Karpat, where he played from 2014 to 2016, before entering the NHL, includes a clause that allows him to return to the NHL before Dec. 1.
A fourth-overall pick with Edmonton in 2016, Puljujarvi had 17 goals and 20 assists in 139 NHL games before his relationship with the Oilers went sour and he decided to make the move back to Finland.
The RFA signing deadline is this Sunday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. ET.
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