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Jesse Puljujarvi

Metropolitan Notes: Pacioretty, Bear, Cizikas, Lazar, Penguins

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5:30 PM: Curtis Lazar has been declared ’out’ for Friday.

5:00 PM: The Washington Capitals will have to wait a little longer for the highly-anticipated debuts of newcomers Max Pacioretty and Ethan Bear, with both players set to sit out of the team’s Friday night game. Both players signed with the Capitals during their recovery from injury, with Pacioretty coming back from his second Achille’s tendon tear and Bear recovering from a shoulder surgery required after taking a big hit during the 2023 World Championships.

Pacioretty joined Washington this summer, signing a one-year, $2MM contract with the club on July 1st. Pacioretty only appeared in five games last season, although he did manage three goals. His 2021-22 season didn’t last for much longer, only seeing 39 games and 37 points. We have to go back to the 2019-20 season to find the last year that Pacioretty appeared in 50 or more regular season games. That year was his second with the Vegas Golden Knights and saw the 855-game veteran record 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games.

Bear’s injury struggles haven’t been as long-running, with the defender managing 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. He scored 16 points through that stretch, marking the second-most points he’s scored in his career, behind his 2019-20 season which saw him net 21 points in 71 games with the Edmonton Oilers. Washington will become the fourth organization that Bear has been apart of through his five-year NHL career, which has been split evenly between two Pacific Division and two Metropolitan Division teams.

Other Metropolitan Division Notes:

Penguins Sign Jesse Puljujarvi To Try Out, Recall Pierre-Olivier Joseph

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a free-agent try-out. Puljujarvi was cleared for full-contact training on Saturday, opening up his availability to NHL teams. The 25-year-old winger underwent surgery on both of his hips this summer and worked his way back to NHL readiness in only six months.

Puljujarvi has had a storied career since being drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016-17 season and bounced between the team’s NHL and AHL lineup for the next two seasons. Rather than sticking with the jumps between North America’s top two leagues, Puljujarvi returned to Finland for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, combining for 65 points in 72 games over the two seasons. The strong performances overseas did boost Puljujarvi’s abilities in the NHL, with the winger recording a career-high 36 points in 65 games during the 2021-22 season, but his struggles have continued to pop up. He joined the Carolina Hurricanes via trade last season and only managed two points in 17 games with the new club. Pittsburgh will serve as another testing ground for the former Finnish standout.

Pittsburgh also shared that they’ve recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from his conditioning stint in the AHL. The 24-year-old defenseman played in two games while with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording one assist. Joseph has appeared in five games with the NHL lineup this season, also managing one assist – with his most recent game marking his 100th in the league.

Joseph emerged as a top option for Pittsburgh as a rookie during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 75 games with the club, scoring 21 points and recording 44 penalty minutes. He averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time each game, a mark that’s decreased to just 13 minutes this year as the Penguins added Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves, and Ryan Shea to the blueline. It’s a small step backward for Joseph, the second-youngest member of Pittsburgh’s defense corps behind 23-year-old John Ludvig. But with a pair of AHL games and the scare of a send-down under his belt, Joseph will now look to carve out a stronger role in the NHL.

Injury Notes: Ducks, Lehkonen, Benning, Puljujarvi, Blue Jackets

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The Anaheim Ducks are nearing the return of two of the most important players in their organization, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. Zegras, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury, has been out of the lineup since November 10th, while Drysdale, has been out with a lower-body injury since October 19th.

There is no firm date for the eventual return of either player, but Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports that both players returned for practice this morning. In the same report, Lee also mentioned that breakout center, Mason McTavish, was still absent from practice after suffering an upper-body injury last week.

Anaheim could certainly use the reinforcements on both sides of the puck, as the team has recorded only one win in the last 11 games. Aside from just returning to the lineup, the Ducks will need both players to step up their game, as Zegras has only registered two points in 12 games, while Drysdale has only been in the lineup 10 times in the last 108 regular season games.

Other injury notes:

  • Without much specificity into the severity of the injury, the Colorado Avalanche have been without top-six forward, Artturi Lehkonen, for the last month after he suffered a neck injury in the team’s game against the Seattle Kraken on November 9th. After joining the team for practice yesterday, the expectation is that Lehkonen will not return for another six to eight weeks, narrowing his return to January or February (X Link). Currently sitting at fourth in the Western Conference, Colorado will only have a few weeks to see how Lehkonen returns before potentially making a move at the trade deadline on March 9th.
  • Missing nearly a month to an undisclosed injury in early November, beat writer Curtis Pashelka reports that San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. In arguably the weakest defensive core in the NHL, Benning is one of 11 defensemen to play at least one game for San Jose this season, averaging just under 18 and a half minutes of ice time per night, placing him sixth on the team amongst defensemen in that category.
  • Hoping to make his return to the NHL soon, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that unrestricted free agent forward, Jesse Puljujarvi, has fully recovered from his hip surgery and has been cleared for full-contact training by doctors. Even when healthy, Puljujarvi’s market is going to be extremely limited, if one develops at all. The former fourth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, Puljujarvi has scored 114 points in 334 career games, including a 36-point season for the Edmonton Oilers back in the 2021-22 season.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that in the Columbus Blue Jackets game tomorrow against the Florida Panthers, forwards Cole Sillinger and Patrik Laine may be making their return to the lineup. Sillinger has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury suffered on November 29th, while Laine has been out through the last three games with an illness.

Evening Notes: Killorn, Mayfield, Puljujarvi

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Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune is reporting that Anaheim Ducks forward Alex Killorn was no longer in a non-contact jersey at Ducks practice today after wearing one yesterday. The 34-year-old has yet to suit up for Anaheim after signing an eyebrow-raising four-year $25MM contract in the offseason as a free agent. Killorn spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Killorn suffered a fractured finger in the preseason in a game against the San Jose Sharks that has delayed his debut in Anaheim by a little over a month. The Ducks have high hopes for Killorn who is coming off a career year last season in which he scored 27 goals and 37 assists in 82 games.

In other evening notes:

  • Ethan Sears of New York Post Sports is reporting that New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has returned to action tonight against the Washington Capitals. The 31-year-old suffered a lower-body injury on opening night and was deemed a game-time decision earlier today. The Islanders have been without Mayfield for seven games and have missed his physical and defensive presence in their lineup. Islanders seventh defenseman Samuel Bolduc has been filling in for Mayfield but has been averaging a team-low 8:30 of ice time per game.
  • TSN’s Chris Johnston of Insider Trading is reporting that former Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is eyeing an NHL return in early to mid-December after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason. Puljujarvi became an unrestricted free agent after he was non-tendered a qualifying offer by the Carolina Hurricanes that followed a trade there late last season by the Oilers. The 25-year-old was once a highly touted prospect after being selected fourth overall but has never lived up to those lofty expectations managing just 51 goals and 63 assists in 334 NHL games.

Injury Notes: Puljujarvi, Couture, Wahlstrom

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A few days ago, an insider for TSN, Chris Johnston, spoke tepidly about the possible return of former fourth-overall selection of the 2016 NHL Draft, Jesse Puljujarvi. After an apathetic transition to the Carolina Hurricanes at least year’s trade deadline, Puljujarvi went through double hip surgery only a couple of months ago, and will likely be seeing his third NHL opportunity.

Given his career trajectory up to this point, if Puljujarvi is able to work his way back adequately from surgery, he will almost assuredly be playing on a two-way deal, destined for the majority of the season in the AHL. In the most successful year of his career back during the 2021-22 NHL season, Puljujarvi was only able to procure 14 goals and 22 assists, hardly satisfying numbers from a top-five overall pick, especially entering into the prime age of his career.

If not already maxed out his potential as a hockey player, Puljujarvi is incredibly close to the cutoff line. When the return comes, there may be an opportunity on a rebuilding team such as the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, or San Jose Sharks; however, even their interest may be mild.

Other injury notes:

  • The captain of the San Jose Sharks, Logan Couture, has already missed the team’s opening night game against the Vegas Golden Knights and is expected to miss tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Couture has been out with a lower-body injury since September 21st, but tonight’s game may be the last he misses. According to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group, Couture is close to skating again and should join the team back on the ice soon.
  • Even though he was cleared to play earlier in the summer, forward for the New York Islanders, Oliver Wahlstrom, is still regaining strength in his knee according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Last season, after the knee injury would sideline him for the rest of the season at the end of December, Wahlstrom played in 35 games, scoring seven goals and nine assists.

Offseason Notes: Canucks, Capitals, Penguins

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With a murky salary cap situation and a glut of forwards ready and able to play in the NHL next season, the Vancouver Canucks should not be considered done with their lineup tweaking leading into training camp this September. Patrick Johnston of The Province agrees with that narrative, indicating that the Cancuks appear forced to move out a winger before the season begins.

Taking into account the probable return of forward Tanner Pearson, Johnston argues that Vancouver has five wingers set to fill three spots in the lineup. With Pearson, the Canucks have Vasily Podkolzin, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser, and Nils Hoglander set to fill three open spots on the wing for Vancouver. The team does have some flexibility with Pearson, however; if he is not ready for NHL minutes after the conclusion of training camp, the team could waive him and assign him to the AHL, as it is unlikely that another team would put in a claim.

It’s never a problem to have too much depth in the NHL, and the Canucks may wait out training camp before making a significant move to thin out their roster, but they have put themselves in a territory to make a move regardless. Boeser has been the one name most oft-mentioned in trade rumors over the last several years, as well as Garland more recently, but the two may provide too much on-ice value to Vancouver to have them seriously consider a trade that far in advance of the trade deadline.

Other notes:

  • This summer, the Washington Capitals and their General Manager, Brian MacLellan, have been adamant about adding some forward depth to the lineup. Having this in mind, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News asserts that the Capitals should entertain the idea of bringing in free agent Jesse Puljujarvi on a professional tryout for training camp. Throughout his time in the NHL, Puljujarvi has not lived up to being the fourth-overall selection of the 2016 NHL Draft. However, as Silber points out in her article, the new Capitals head coach, Spencer Carbery, has excelled throughout his career in getting the most out of up-and-coming players and may be exactly what Puljujarvi needs to turn his career around.
  • Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Cam Charron as a Hockey Research and Development Analyst. Charron had previously held a similar title with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the previous eight seasons and will join the new President of Hockey Operations, Kyle Dubas, in his transition to Pittsburgh.

Examining Maple Leafs Bargain Bin Free Agent Targets

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Joshua Kloke of The Athletic wrote an article today highlighting seven bargain bin free agent targets that could help the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. The Maple Leafs currently sit about $2MM over the salary cap despite putting Jake Muzzin and Matt Murray on LTIR for next year, making it difficult to imagine Toronto doing much shopping in free agency unless they sign two-way deals or move out a contract. The names on the list were interesting, and certainly, they reflect the Maple Leafs’ salary cap predicament.

The most interesting name on Kloke’s list was three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews. Much speculation has been made this off-season about the future of Toews as he has battled health issues the past few seasons and may be leaning towards retirement. Toews was effective last year, albeit in limited action as he dressed in just 53 games and put up 15 goals and 16 assists. The former captain of the Chicago Blackhawks doesn’t have much to play for at this point, but if he were to choose the Maple Leafs as a destination, he could slide into a similar role that Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton had when they arrived in Toronto a few years ago. Toews could be a very effective fourth-line center for Toronto even at this point in his career, but one must wonder if wants to.

Zach Aston-Reese was another name on the list and is coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 10 goals with Toronto. By all accounts, Aston-Reese was well-liked in Toronto and was effective for them in a fourth-line role. We profiled the Staten Island, New York native just days ago in our Free Agent Profile series and highlighted that the 28-year-old has some of the best defensive analytics in the league but offers very little offensively.

Another name on the list was a young reclamation project and that is 25-year-old Jesse Puljujarvi. The right-winger is coming off a very disappointing season in which he scored just five goals and was dumped by the Edmonton Oilers in a cap-cutting move last year. Puljujarvi has been a disappointment in his young career after getting drafted fourth overall in 2016. He has just 51 goals and 63 assists in 334 NHL games but is just a year removed from a 36-point season in 2021-22. The Maple Leafs would probably be a good landing spot for Puljujarvi as he could play in more of a sheltered role in Toronto and wouldn’t be relied upon to provide much offence. On the flip side of that, he struggled to play with skilled players like Connor McDavid, which leads to speculation about whether he’d be able to play with any of Toronto’s skilled forwards.

The most realistic target for the Maple Leafs on the list was center Derick Brassard. Brassard entered last season on a professional tryout with the Ottawa Senators and put up decent numbers in limited playing time. The 35-year-old had 13 goals and 10 assists in 62 games while averaging just 12 minutes of ice time per game. It’s possible that Brassard might also elect to retire, but he did express a desire to keep playing at the end of last year. He also enjoyed playing closer to home having grown up in Hull, Quebec, which is just across the river from Ottawa. Should Brassard want to stay close to family, Toronto would make sense. From the Maple Leafs’ perspective, there is no harm in bringing in a veteran like Brassard on a one-year deal for the league minimum. He would give them a scoring option in the bottom six who can fill in at center, and they could bury his contract in the minors without penalty should things not work out.

The other names on Kloke’s list were defensemen Ethan Bear and Scott Harrington, as well as forward Sam Gagner. Harrington is a former Maple Leaf and could offer some depth on the backend, while Bear is expected to miss a significant chunk of the year and would be a mid-season addition. Gagner could offer the Leafs some depth scoring on the fourth line and is close with John Taveres from their days playing in London. Perhaps a return home could be possible for the 33-year-old Gagner.

Jesse Puljujarvi Undergoes Double Hip Surgery

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NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston has an unfortunate injury update on 2016 fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi: he “recently underwent double hip surgery and is facing a lengthy recovery.” Johnston adds that Puljujarvi won’t be issued a qualifying offer by the Carolina Hurricanes and will hit unrestricted free agency in a few days.

This is the second significant medical setback hitting a young winger of the day, as it was recently announced that Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn will miss quite some time with an Achilles injury. But while Quinn is firmly in an NHL team’s future plans, Puljujarvi is going to be looking for a new opportunity on the open market. The 25-year-old was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes last season but struggled to make an impact for head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team. He scored just two points in 17 games and one point in seven playoff games.

Puljujarvi had his moments as an Edmonton Oiler, such as in 2021-22 when he scored 36 points in 65 games but struggled immensely early in the season with them and played his way out of a future with that organization. Since he was making $3MM against the cap his qualifying offer’s cost made it incredibly unlikely, and now we know he will indeed go unqualified.

The level of interest he garners on the open market is going to be a bit of a mystery due to this injury, which does not have a disclosed recovery timeline. Given the severity of the injury, though, it could be quite some time before we see Puljujarvi back on NHL ice.

East Notes: MacEachern, Graves, Raanta

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Game Four roster of the Carolina Hurricanes will look a bit different, as forward Mackenzie MacEachern replaces Jesse Puljujarvi in the lineup before tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. MacEachern has been out of the Hurricanes lineup since the series-winning Game Six victory against the New York Islanders in late April.

In his first taste of action for the Hurricanes this season, MacEachern scored one goal and one assist in Carolina’s Game Four victory against the Islanders in this year’s playoffs. Throwing 10 hits in three playoff games, the Hurricanes could use some more physicality in the lineup after their blowout loss to the Devils in Game Three of the second round.

Puljujarvi, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to produce to the level Carolina may have been hoping for after acquiring him from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. In seven games played for the Hurricanes in this year’s playoffs, Puljujarvi has only managed one assist. Needing more production on the defensive side of the puck from their forwards, MacEachern will replace Puljujarvi in the lineup for the time being.

Other notes:

  • In unfortunate injury news for the Devils, a lead reporter for New Jersey, Amanda Stein reports that defenseman Ryan Graves will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Coming off an impressive year on the defensive side of the puck, the Devils will once again have to weather Carolina’s offense without one of their top defenders. However, replacing Graves in the lineup is rookie defenseman Luke Hughes, who registered two assists in his first look at playoff action at the NHL level.
  • Once again missing a game due to illness, Dan Rosen of the NHL reports that Hurricanes’ goaltender Antti Raanta will miss Game Four. Replacing him in the lineup is Pyotr Kochetkov, who will be backing up goaltender Frederik Andersen. Raanta has not played since the team’s Game Five loss to the New York Islanders in the first round when he gave up three goals on 22 shots in a losing effort.

Alexander Romanov, Jesse Puljujarvi Back For Game Three

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As the series shifts to New York for game three, both the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will be receiving reinforcements. Returning for the Islanders will be defenseman Alexander Romanov, and Jesse Puljujarvi returns for the Hurricanes (link). Romanov has been out of New York’s lineup since their April 1st game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Puljujarvi has been out of the lineup since their last game of the regular season.

Although the Islanders have played a relatively sound defensive series up to this point, getting Romanov back will allow New York to make things much more difficult on their opposition. Romanov doesn’t score at a rapid pace, but his ability to block shots and deliver serious hits has made him a staple of the Islanders’ back end. In his first season since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at last season’s draft, Romanov has played 76 regular season games for the Islanders this season, blocking 129 shots, and making 198 hits.

On the other side of the puck, it is much harder to predict what kind of impact Puljujarvi will make for the Hurricanes. Before joining his new team in Carolina, Puljujarvi skated in 58 games for the Edmonton Oilers, scoring five goals and nine assists. Thinking that a change of scenery might help him reclaim some of his potential of being a fourth overall pick, Puljujarvi only managed to score two points in 17 games in Carolina, neither of which were goals.

To this point in the series, Carolina has a 2-0 lead, winning both games by one goal, including an overtime win in game two. This season, the Hurricanes were a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of goal scoring, and with the Islanders’ style of play being one of the more frustrating to matchup against, this Metropolitan battle could tighten up in the next couple of days.

Tom Gulitti of the NHL was the first to report that Romanov and Puljujarvi would be back for game three.

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