Teams Asking About Puljujarvi’s Status with Oilers, Winger Needs Surgery

Ken Holland said in his media avail that he needs to “sort out Jesse”. What he meant by that was that Jesse Puljujarvi was among the players Holland needed to take a good look at and make sure they were part of the long-term solution in Edmonton before committing to an extension or exploring the possibility of a trade this offseason.

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If the latter, there are already teams ready and waiting to talk deal with the Oilers, according to a number of sources.

Montreal Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy suggested Puljujarvi could be a fit with the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens. They are looking at bringing in NHL-ready players that aren’t a couple of years away from making an impact. Puljujarvi would certainly fit what they’re looking to add this summer. Meanwhile, Sammi Silber of Washington Hockey Now thinks the Capitals might have an interest as well. They are a team that is getting a little older and needs to find players with a high ceiling that aren’t terribly expensive since they have salary cap issues to contend with.

Essentially, teams that value underlying statistics and analytics are really interested in Puljujarvi. He has great numbers and while the Oilers believe he’s lost his confidence, there’s a player there that could be a huge value deal if he puts it all together. Allan Mitchell (Lowetide) of The Athletic writes: “If the Oilers do trade Jesse Puljujarvi, I’ll bet you a 2-4 he lands on a team that values all the numbers, not just the boxcars. I’m hopeful he lands in a place where he’ll belong. Weight of the world shouldn’t land on you when you’re 24.”

What About Puljujarvi’s Injury?

The one thing that teams will want to be aware of is how Puljujarvi played after getting injured this season. He was a much more productive player to start the year. But, after getting injured, he never quite got back to that level. And, there’s talk that Puljujarvi could need offseason surgery on his injured shoulder and has a four-to-six-week recovery.

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