Though it doesn’t appear a deal is imminent, the Edmonton Oilers are considering a trade to give Jesse Puljujarvi a fresh start elsewhere, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Questions about the 24-year-old’s future in Edmonton have persisted as the winger has continued to struggle in an Oilers sweater. Those questions were further fuelled earlier this week by an interview with Finnish journalist Tommi Seppälä, in which Puljujarvi spoke candidly about his lack of production.
“Twenty games in and I have one goal. It’s sad,” Puljujarvi said, originally in Finnish but translated by Seppälä. “I’ve been thinking a lot how to do things differently. Right now, I just don’t have the answer. … I’m trying to find out who I am as a player, since it looks like I don’t fit anywhere here (in Edmonton). I’ve started checking a lot and lead the team in hits. At least that's some positive.”
According to Friedman, it seems a solution to the winger’s woes is coming.
“From what we understand, there was a conversation at the beginning of the season between the team and Puljujarvi's representatives where it was decided if things didn't go well, the Oilers would try to move him. I do think that's going to happen,” Friedman said during Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment. “What I can't tell you is what the timeline is going to be. Edmonton is still banged up at forward and the Oilers don't have a salary cap issue until Evander Kane is back and returns some time in the next few months.
“So, I don't think this is necessarily going to happen quickly or anything like that, but I do think the Oilers and the player are going to try to find a solution.”
It’s been a tumultuous road for Puljujarvi and the Oilers.
Originally drafted fourth-overall by Edmonton at the 2016 NHL Draft, hopes were immediately high for the young Finn who’d made waves on the international stage. But it took time for Puljujarvi to adjust to the NHL, a process that didn’t sit well with Oilers fans who watched Matthew Tkachuk — drafted by the rival Calgary Flames two spots after Puljujarvi — pile up more and more goals with each passing season.
After splitting time between the big club and its AHL affiliate, Puljujarvi opted to return to Finland in 2019 — to the team of his youth, Oulun Kärpät — his Oilers tenure seeming all but finished.
Then came the 2020-21 campaign, a new contract and a return to Alberta. The big-bodied winger put up 15 goals and 25 points through 55 games in his second act with the Oilers, then bumped up that points total to 36 the year after.
This season, though, the struggles have returned for the Oilers fan-favourite. Through 28 games, Puljujarvi’s collected just one goal and six points.
“One of the things a couple of teams indicated is that Puljujarvi seems to be more comfortable and puts less pressure on himself when he isn't playing with (Connor) McDavid or (Leon) Draisaitl,” Friedman said. “And I think that's one thing the Oilers will continue to try to hopefully help him feel more comfortable.”
Said Puljujarvi on the subject, to Seppälä:
“It’s hard to tell why I'm not scoring. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I scored earlier and I think now I'm older, more experienced and a better player. Yet I'm not scoring. If you play with Connor, you have to score.
“Maybe I just don't have it.”
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