Jesse Puljujarvi Talks Likelihood He Stays With Oilers, NHL Future

While many members of the media have speculated Jesse Puljujarvi might have played his last game with the Edmonton Oilers, the winger himself says he’s not sure what his future holds. Speaking with Finnish publication yle.fi, Puljujarvi discussed his up and down 2021-22 season and said he’s not sure what the Oilers plan to do.

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The one thing Puljujarvi does know is that he wants to be back in the NHL next year and wants an NHL contract. While he can’t say for certain it will be with the Oilers — Puljujarvi is an RFA and the Oilers can’t bring back their entire roster based on salary cap complications — he admits that it’s a bit of a “Strange feeling that summer is starting and there is no agreement yet. And you never know what will happen.”

Puljujarvi knows there are rumors surrounding his future with the team. He also knows it’s because he saw the high and the lows this season. He started out incredibly well, but then an illness and an injury hampered his production and, while his underlying numbers were good, he didn’t score much to close the campaign. Oilers GM Ken Holland says he doesn’t exactly know where Puljujarvi fits as far as finding solutions for this team goes and he’ll need to “sort that out” this summer. Puljujarvi felt the season ended too soon and was hoping to do more. “It was a really empty feeling and a feeling of excitement, that’s what now. It felt like the season ended all of a sudden. “

Puljujarvi Didn’t Say He Wants to Leave

Some have read Puljujarvi’s comments and suggested he’s already thinking about the fact he’ll be on another team next year. That’s not necessarily the case, especially when you consider that comments can get mistranslated and give a sense of a feeling or emotion that isn’t entirely accurate. Puljujarvi doesn’t sound like he wants to leave, he just knows the reality of his situation. “This is a tough world and anything can happen here. I don’t know if I’ll be back here anymore or what the leaders will end up doing then.”

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