Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Benning, Draft Pick Trading, Chiasson
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.
Snapshots: Islanders, Benning
Despite their starting goalie’s concerns on the situation, the New York Islanders look to be once again carrying three goaltenders to start this season. Last July, the Islanders signed Thomas Greiss to a two-year contact to back-up Jaroslav Halak. They followed that up by claiming promising young netminder J-F Berube off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings in early October. Because a player claimed on waivers must stay in the NHL or be put through waivers again, the Islanders kept him up. Berube played just seven games in 2015-16. Halak was hurt for extended time and only played 36 games. Backup-in-name-only Greiss made 41 appearances and lead the team through the playoffs, including their first round series win against Florida.
This summer, the Islanders extended Berube for another season. In an interview with NHL.com’s Brian Compton, head coach Jack Capuano said “whether you have eight defensemen or three goalies or 15 forwards … they’re all good players back there, all three of them can help us. We’ll see how it pans out… they’re all quality goaltenders.”
Related: Islanders’ depth chart
Here are some other snapshots from around the NHL:
- Staying with the Islanders, Compton lists finding Frans Nielsen‘s replacement as one of big questions surrounding the team in training camp. There’s a handful of in-house options, including Ryan Strome. The fifth overall pick in 2011 had a successful rookie campaign in 2014-15, posting 50 points, before taking a major step backward last season with 28 points and an eight game stint in the AHL. Capuano said Strome will get a shot in the middle and that he’ll be looking “for big things from Ryan”. Strome is currently a restricted free agent.
- Despite the biggest name college free agents being signed already, there remains at least one more player who’s attracting some attention from around the NHL, according to Bob Stauffer from the Oilers Radio Network. Matthew Benning was the Bruins’ sixth round pick in 2012. He was playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) at the time, then went on to play one year in the USHL and then three seasons with Northeastern University. The 22-year-old right-handed defenseman posted 56 points in 110 games with Northeaster. Stauffer believes the Oilers, Kings, and Canucks all make sense as destinations for Benning: all three teams are looking to add right-handed defensemen, he’s an Edmonton-native who was drafted by current Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, and his uncle is Canucks’ GM Jim Benning.