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Jesse Puljujarvi

Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers Nearing A Resolution

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Could the longest-running standoff in the NHL be reaching a conclusion? Last month, Jesse Puljujarvi spoke about his desire to return to North America and that his representation had been speaking with the Edmonton Oilers, the team who Puljujarvi refused to sign with last off-season and who he once stated he would never play for again. It was an encouraging note on what has been a frustrating situation for all involved. Yet, just a week later Puljujarvi re-signed with Karpat in the Finnish Liga and once again it seemed a reunion between the Oilers and their 2016 No. 4 overall pick may never happen.

Not so fast, says Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. Spector heard whispers that the sides were still talking and decided to do some digging. After speaking with both Edmonton and Puljujarvi’s agent, Spector believes that Puljujarvi will be back with the Oilers for the 2020-21 season. He believes the contract with Karpat, which has an NHL out clause, was to safeguard against a delayed start or worse for the NHL season, but that the two sides should come together for a new contract prior to the start of training camp, allowing Puljujarvi to simply use his deal with Karpat to get a head start on the season by playing in the Liiga.

Why the change? Spector believes that in addition to Puljujarvi’s desire to return to the NHL, he is also an ideal option for the cap-strapped Oilers to bolster their forward corps. Puljujarvi’s NHL production has not impressed thus far in his young career, but his numbers in Europe both before and after his first stint with the Oilers imply otherwise. With size and speed to go with his offensive upside, perhaps Puljujarvi can make a greater impact this time around and at a bargain rate. Spector expects that Edmonton will try to re-sign their former top prospect at a salary close to $1MM, which would likely mean just a one-year deal, but could make him an incredible value if he plays up to his potential.

Jesse Puljujarvi Re-Signs In Finland

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The Jesse Puljujarvi saga continues, with the Edmonton Oilers prospect re-signing with Oulun Karpat in Finland for one more season. While that seems to contradict his recent statements about potentially returning to play in the NHL, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the new contract does include an out-clause that would allow Puljujarvi to return for the 2020-21 season.

The 22-year old Puljujarvi recently revealed that he had a long conversation with Oilers GM Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett, explaining that “it may be possible” for him to return to Edmonton at some point—something he had vowed against in the past.

Selected fourth overall in 2016 by the previous Oilers front office regime, Puljujarvi’s usage and development was inconsistent and frustrating for both the player and the team. He did play in 139 NHL games over three seasons but was rarely given opportunities alongside the team’s more offensive players, and when he did find himself in those situations he didn’t take advantage of them.

When he became a restricted free agent in 2019, Puljujarvi returned to Finland and played the entire 2019-20 season with Karpat, scoring 53 points in 54 games. From all accounts, he was a difference-maker on a nightly basis for the Finnish squad, ending the season fourth in league scoring.

For now, he’ll get to continue being that game-changing presence for Karpat, with an eye on a return to the NHL. The Oilers continue to hold his rights, but Puljujarvi has asked for them to be traded in the past. While the focus is on the Edmonton playoff roster at the moment, there will surely be plenty of attention placed on the young forward once the season is over.

Jesse Puljujarvi Addresses 2020-21, NHL Future

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Ever since Jesse Puljujarvi left the Edmonton Oilers to return home to Finland last summer, signing a one-year deal with Karpat, there has been plenty of speculation about his future, his trade value, and his relationship with his current NHL rights holder. However, there has been little in the way of concrete news. That changed today as Puljujarvi himself spoke with Finnish news source Iltalehti about his current free agency and what to expect of his career moving forward.

First and foremost, Puljujarvi stated a return to Karpat next season is his most likely destination for 2020-21. Seeing as how his trade demands in the NHL have not been met, it makes some sense that Puljujarvi would stick to his guns and remain in the Finnish Liiga. It also helps that Puljujarvi was a superstar in Finland this season. His 24 goals and 53 points both led Karpat and were top-five marks in the league.

With that said, Puljujarvi also makes the important note that a deal is not in place with Karpat and he is keeping his options open. That could very well include the NHL, as he stated that his goal is to eventually return to North America. Would he be open to a return to Edmonton though? Puljujarvi actually revealed that he and his representation recently took part in a long phone call with GM Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett, neither of whom were in place when Puljujarvi last suited up for the Oilers. Usage was the main reason why Puljujarvi was so unhappy in Edmonton, but he does not know how that might change under this new administration. Puljujarvi called talks with Holland Tippet “good and constructive” and said that “it may be possible” he returns to the team, which is a major departure from his previous stance.

Should things not work out with Edmonton again this off-season and his rights are not traded to another NHL team, don’t expect Puljujarvi to move elsewhere in Europe. His KHL rights holder, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, has made an offer but Puljujarvi firmly stated that he would not sign with the team. He also acknowledged interest from the Swiss NLA, but again stated that he is unlikely to move their either. As a result, it seems Karpat or bust for 2020-21, with bust of course being a change of course in either Puljujarvi’s relationship with Edmonton or as a result of being traded to a new team.

Pacific Notes: Puljujarvi, Tanev, Glass

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With a recent report that New York Rangers’ Lias Andersson is not interested in returning to the team for the upcoming postseason and prefers to stay in Sweden. Now another unhappy lottery pick could be following the same path as Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is believed ready to sign a one-year extension with Karpat of Liiga, according to the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.

The fourth-overall pick in 2016 has struggled to establish himself in the NHL and chose to sign a one-year contract with Karpat last season. He had a solid season, scoring 24 goals and 53 points in 56 games this past season, but there remains doubt by many that Puljujarvi will eventually return to the NHL and become a dominant player.

What’s interesting is recent comments in which he referenced a willingness to consider returning to Edmonton when he was quoted last week as saying, “never say never.” Leavins, however, wonders if Puljujarvi made the statement in hopes of raising his trade value, especially since there is a belief that the one-year extension would likely include an NHL opt-out clause.

  • The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the Vancouver Canucks could have a tough decision to make with pending unrestricted free agent Chris Tanev. While the team is expected to be capped out this offseason and the team has a number of free agents, including Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Toffoli along with several restricted free agents, Tanev might seem like a player who could easily replaced, especially with a number of young blueliners near NHL ready, including Brogan Rafferty, Guillaume Brisebois, Olli Juolevi and the possible return of Nikita Tryamkin. However, the 30-year-old has made it clear that he wants to stay in Vancouver and considering how well he paired next to rookie Quinn Hughes and his leadership skills, the team might have to seriously consider keeping him over others. “It’s a very tough situation because nobody knows where the cap is going to be,” said Tanev. “But I want to stay in Vancouver. I love it here and it’s sort of my new home. I love the guys on the team and we’re trending in the right direction.”
  • Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun writes that Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is still working on who might fill the team’s extra spots on their expanded roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament playoffs. However, one name that won’t be on that list is rookie Cody Glass, who underwent knee surgery in March and is not expected to be ready for the delayed playoffs. Glass had a difficult rookie season in which he struggled on the team’s third line with just five goals and 12 points in 39 games.

West Notes: Puljujarvi, Soderstrom, Foligno

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Since last offseason, Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi has made it known that he wants to be dealt from the Oilers.  However, his stance may have softened ever so slightly as he told Kalena’s Janne Onnela to “never say never” about the possibility of him returning to Edmonton.  The 22-year-old opted to play this season in Karpat in the Finnish SM-liiga and finished fourth in the league in scoring with 24 goals and 29 assists in 56 games.  However, that probably hasn’t done much to move the needle on his trade value which is why some believe his best chance of being dealt is to go back to Edmonton first and get back to playing in the NHL.  It’s likely that Karpat would welcome him back for next season if Puljujarvi wanted to stay while Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that at least one KHL team has shown an interest in him as well.  He remains a restricted free agent in the NHL without salary arbitration rights.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Coyotes are expected to have defenseman Victor Soderstrom as part of their expanded roster, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts The 19-year-old was the 11th overall pick last June and spent the season with SHL Brynas where he had 16 points in 35 games and six more in seven contests at the World Juniors for Sweden.  He’s eligible to be recalled as he has already signed his entry-level deal.  If Soderstrom happens to play in ten games during this stretch, he’ll burn the first season of that contract.
  • In a podcast appearance with Michael Russo of The Athletic (audio link), Wild winger Marcus Foligno expressed a desire to work out an extension with Minnesota this offseason. The 28-year-old has spent the last three seasons with them after being acquired from Buffalo and set a new career high in points with 25 despite playing in just 59 games.  He also surpassed the 180-hit mark for the seventh straight year.  Foligno will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason and with the expected flattening of the salary cap, he may be hard-pressed to land a big raise on his current $2.85MM price tag.

Minimal Interest In Jesse Puljujarvi

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Jesse Puljujarvi hasn’t been in the news much lately but with the trade deadline almost upon us, his name has surfaced as a potential trade candidate.  The restricted free agent remains ineligible to play this season but to a rebuilding team that might be interested in acquiring him, that wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.

However, Oilers GM Ken Holland told reporters, including Postmedia’s Jim Matheson, that he hasn’t been shopping the winger nor have teams really been calling about him.  He had indicated last month that he was open to moving Puljujarvi but his preference wasn’t to move him for a rental player.  That could also be limiting the market for him as at this time of year, pending unrestricted free agents comprise the majority of the players that get moved.

The 21-year-old ranks second in scoring in the SM-liiga with Karpat this season with 21 goals and 27 assists in 48 games and sits one point out of the top spot on the scoring leaderboard.  Perhaps even more importantly, he’s averaging 18:41 per night which is well above the 11:57 per night he had with Edmonton last season.  From a development perspective, that’s significant.

Puljujarvi requested a trade out of Edmonton over the summer and signed back in Finland when it was clear that a move wasn’t coming.  The December 1st RFA signing deadline came and went without a trade.  Based on how things are looking now, the trade deadline is likely to come and go without a move as well.  If that happens, the 2016 fourth-overall pick will need to decide if he’d be better off returning to the Oilers next season or continuing to hold firm with his trade request.

Five Key Stories: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

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With the quarter pole of the season in the rear view mirror, teams have had plenty of time to evaluate their rosters and early performances and changes are starting to be made. That has been the overarching story of the week, as some clubs made moves – both long- and short-term – while others are preparing to do so.

Flames Fire Bill Peters: Well, not technically. Calgary accepted the resignation of their head coach, who was mired in scandal following an investigation into allegations of racist comments made while serving as an AHL head coach in the Chicago Blackhawks organization and further accusations of physical abuse while head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. The league will continue its investigation, but Peters days as an NHL coach are likely over regardless. While the veteran coach offered an apology for the incident in Rockford, the victim of the attack, Akim Aliu, called it “misleading, insincere and concerning”, which was likely the nail in his coffin. Geoff Ward takes over as interim head coach for the Flames, an under-performing team that had enough concerns of their own without dealing with off-ice controversy.

Bruins Extend Coyle And Wagner: The league-leading Boston Bruins signed a pair of local products to contract extensions, inking 2019 trade acquisition Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $31.5MM deal and 2018 free agent addition Chris Wagner to a three-year, $4.05MM deal. The 27-year-old Coyle, who won over the home crowd with a dominant playoff run last year, is now in place to likely succeed David Krejci and/or Patrice Bergeron as a top-six center for the Bruins, unless the versatile forward shifts to the right wing long-term instead. Meanwhile, the Bruins have always shown a willingness to invest in their fourth line and clearly feel Wagner can continue to be an effective checker and penalty killer for years to come. The team can now solely turn their attention to re-signing Torey Krug with these deals complete.

New Jersey Willing To Move Hall: The 2019-20 season has not gone as planned for the New Jersey Devils, who added considerable talent this off-season but have yet to see the on-ice impact. As a result, 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, the top impending free agent in this summer’s class, has become the most talked-about name on the trade market. The team is officially listening to offers, with most pundits expecting that he will be traded and perhaps sooner rather than later. Hall has had the misfortune of never playing for a true contender thus far in his career, but could wind up participating in a playoff run this year as a highly sought-after rental target. His former team, the Edmonton Oilers, are considered a possible landing spot, as are the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, and defending champion St. Louis Blues. More teams are sure to be in the running as the Hall sweepstakes heat up.

Dumoulin Out Eight Weeks: The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered yet another injury blow on Saturday as defenseman Brian Dumoulin sustained an ankle injury that required surgery and will leave him sidelined for eight weeks. The Penguins lead the NHL in man-games lost this year and the loss of Dumoulin is a major blow. The underrated defenseman is one of the premier shutdown defenders in the league and allows for pair mate Kris Letang to truly play his game. With Justin Schultz already out, not to mention Sidney Crosby and Nick Bjugstad, and Erik Gudbranson recently traded, Pittsburgh will be shorthanded on the blue line for a while.

Also in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost dynamic defenseman Zach Werenski to an upper-body injury that will keep him out of action for at least four weeks.

Puljujarvi, Honka Not Playing This Season: The December 1 5:00PM ET deadline came and went and restricted free agents Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers and Julius Honka of the Dallas Stars had not been signed. As a result, neither young Finn can play in the NHL this year. Both the Oilers and Stars have been trying to find a trade partner for their disgruntled young players, but to no avail. Neither team was willing to give their RFA away, even if that meant potentially not being able to trade them until the off-season. Both Puljujarvi and Honka have yet to live up to expectations in the NHL, but are playing well in Finland this season. This is likely not the last we’ve seen of either player in North America.

RFA Signing Deadline Passes

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The signing deadline for all restricted free agents has come and gone, meaning they will not be eligible to play in the NHL this season. The group is headlined by Jesse Puljujarvi and Julius Honka, who are both currently playing in Finland and will have to wait for another chance in North America.

The Dallas Stars were rumored to be looking at potential offers today for their young free agent, who was described as “an asset” earlier this weekend. Despite being a relatively high first-round pick, Honka never really found a fit with Dallas and played just 87 NHL games over his entry-level contract.

An elite offensive weapon at the minor league level, Honka would be an intriguing option for any team looking to add some skill to the back end. Apparently any interest shown wasn’t enough to convince Dallas GM Jim Nill however, who will now have plenty of time to work out a deal before the 2020-21 season. Though Honka is playing in Finland currently, his agent Todd Diamond told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that there is a chance he could move to another league at some point.

Puljujarvi meanwhile has been very clear with his desire to be sent out of the Edmonton Oilers organization. After three disappointing and frustrating seasons since he was the fourth overall pick in 2016, Puljujarvi decided not to sign as an RFA and is instead spending the year dominating Liiga back in Finland. The big winger has 24 points in 25 games for Karpat and is improving his value daily for Oilers GM Ken Holland.

It doesn’t appear as though either player will ever suit up again for their current organizations, and this deadline guarantees they at least won’t this season. It doesn’t however completely end trade speculation, as their rights could still be swapped at any point. The young free agents are no longer eligible to play in the 2019-20 season, but that doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of either one.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Benning, Draft Pick Trading, Chiasson

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Jesse Puljujarvi’s immediate NHL future is going to be sealed one way or the other by the end of the weekend.  If he isn’t signed by 4:00 PM CST tomorrow, he won’t be eligible to play in the NHL for the rest of the year.  It doesn’t sound as if much progress has been made when it comes to finding a trade suitor as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports (Twitter link) that as things stand, it appears that Puljujarvi won’t be on the move.

The 21-year-old has rediscovered his scoring touch back home with Karpat Oulu of the Finnish SM-liiga where he has recorded 11 goals and 13 assists in 24 games while averaging 18:30 per night.  His 24 points put him in a tie for fifth overall in league scoring and a tie for first on the team with former Philadelphia center Mika Pyorala.  If a trade suitor isn’t found by tomorrow, the Oilers will retain his rights as a restricted free agent and he will not accrue a year of service time towards UFA eligibility meaning he’ll still be under team control for four more years.

More from Edmonton:

  • Defenseman Matt Benning has been activated off injured reserve, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. He has been out of the lineup since suffering a concussion back on November 19th against San Jose.  Edmonton had an extra roster spot so they didn’t have to send anyone to AHL Bakersfield to bring Benning off IR.
  • GM Ken Holland told Matheson that he’s open to trading a first-round pick but only if the team is in a spot where they’re a sure bet to make the playoffs. With Philadelphia and Chicago recently making big jumps from the bottom of the draft lottery, potential bubble teams are going to be even more hesitant to part with those selections.  Edmonton enters play today atop the Pacific Division and if they can hold onto that spot for a few more months, that pick may wind up being in play.
  • While it looked like Alex Chiasson would miss some time following a hard hit from Colorado defenseman Ryan Graves back on Wednesday, team play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports (Twitter link) that the winger will be in his spot on the second line tonight against Vancouver. After scoring 22 goals last season, Chiasson has struggled offensively with just two goals in 23 contests in 2019-20.

Oilers Notes: Larsson, Puljujarvi, Bear, Bouchard

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The Edmonton Oilers look to be getting back a key player as defenseman Adam Larsson is expected to be close to a return, likely in the middle of the week. The Edmonton Sun’s Kurt Leavins reports that the team will likely make some roster moves either Wednesday or Thursday for a potential return against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

The scribe writes the team will have to make a corresponding move when they activate Larsson, who has been out since the first game of the season with a broken leg. The likely candidates to be sent to Bakersfield of the AHL would be either Caleb Jones or Joel Persson, with Persson being the more likely candidate. The 25-year-old, who signed out of the SHL, could use some time in the AHL to allow the game to slow down for him. He has only appeared in 10 games for the Oilers so far.

  • Edmonton Sun’s Jim Matheson relays that while the Oilers have been rumored to be considering a potential swap of Jesse Puljujarvi for the New York Rangers’ Lias Andersson, he wonders if that potential trade makes much sense. The scribe writes that the scouting book on the Swedish center is that he is a bottom-line forward who lacks pace to his game. While Puljujarvi hasn’t fared well so far in the NHL, there is still belief that he has the potential to be a top-six option still.
  • In a separate tweet, Matheson writes that there aren’t many comparables for Ethan Bear, who will be hitting restricted free agency this summer. Bear, has looked good this year in his first full season with the Oilers, posting three goals and seven points in 22 games. He writes the best comparables are Neal Pionk’s $3MM deal with Winnipeg or Ryan Pulock’s $2MM deal with the New York Islanders.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) names his top Edmonton Oilers’ prospect in his winter evaluation, naming defenseman Evan Bouchard for a second straight year. Bouchard is the first player to repeat as the team’s top prospect in more than a dozen years. The 20-year-old blueliner scored 16 goals and 43 points with the OHL’s London Knights last season and has continued to play well as a professional this year with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL where he has three goals and nine points in 10 games.

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