Top 4 Trade Destinations for Oilers’ Jesse Puljujarvi

Though the 2022-23 season is just around the corner and he is fresh off of a contract extension, Jesse Puljujarvi’s future with the Edmonton Oilers remains in doubt.

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It seemed like a foregone conclusion earlier in the offseason that the two sides were parting ways, with reports both felt a change in scenery may be best. However, things seemed to have cooled down on that front, until TSN’s Ryan Rishaug got it all started again with a tweet on Monday afternoon, suggesting Puljujarvi remains on the trade block. He also said that the move would be to open up cap space, meaning there may not be a lineup replacement coming back. With that said, here are four destinations that may make some sense for the 24-year-old:

San Jose Sharks

One team that was rumored earlier in the offseason to be a potential destination for Puljujarvi was the San Jose Sharks. Once a dominant force in the Western Conference, they have taken a major step back in recent seasons and now find themselves in a rebuilding situation. From that perspective alone, the Oilers winger would make plenty of sense to acquire given that he is still young and has a ton of talent.

Outside of their first line featuring Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, the Sharks don’t have much when it comes to forwards who can create offense. Puljujarvi would immediately slide into their top six, and would not only help them from an offensive standpoint, but would continue to chip in with his solid defensive play.

From a cap perspective, the Sharks may need to move some money around in order to make this work. They currently have just under $230,000 in cap space, which isn’t enough to fit Puljujarvi’s $3 million salary. That said, there has been talk that Radim Simek, who has been unhappy with his role in recent seasons, could be on the move in the near future. Freeing up his $2.25 million salary would create some space, and on top of that, Nikolai Knyzhov and his $850,000 deal will soon be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) due to a torn achilles tendon. These moves would create the space to acquire Puljujarvi if newly hired general manager Mike Grier sees fit.

Minnesota Wild

Due to the buyouts of Zack Parise and Ryan Suter after the 2020-21 season, the Minnesota Wild have found themselves in some cap trouble this summer. That is why they chose to move Kevin Fiala, who was second in team scoring with 85-points last season, to the L.A. Kings. They are expected to see a drop off in their offense as a team this season, though bringing in Puljujarvi could help soften the blow.

While Puljujarvi isn’t likely to produce at the level Fiala did in 2021-22, he should have no problem cracking the Wild’s top six forward unit. That would likely mean playing with Marco Rossi or Joel Eriksson Ek as his centerman, two very gifted talents that could help him elevate his play. Not only would he be given a great opportunity from a personal standpoint, but he would be joining a team that was amongst the best in the Western Conference last season.

Though the Wild were forced to move on from Fiala, they actually sit with plenty of cap room at the moment, having more than $5.7 million in space. That not only gives them enough room to bring in Puljujarvi, but would still give them some breathing room if they were to wanting to make another transaction.

Carolina Hurricanes

If Puljujarvi had it his way, the top team on his wish list may very well be the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only are they a great team, but they have several other Finnish players close to his age in Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. In fact, Puljujarvi helped form one of the better lines we have seen in World Juniors history back in 2016 alongside Aho and Patrik Laine.

The Hurricanes have been looking to add offense to their lineup, and tried to do so earlier this summer by adding Max Pacioretty. Unfortunately, a torn achilles to the 33-year-old shortly after the deal was made means the Canes will be without him for some time. That could make adding Puljujarvi a short-term solution for offensive help.

Once the Hurricanes are able to place Pacioretty and his $7 million salary on LTIR, there will be more than enough money to bring in Puljujarvi. This is an organization who seems to have a knack for developing talent, meaning they may stand the best chance of any on this list to fully unlock his potential.

Calgary Flames

Divisional trades rarely happen in the NHL, especially between two teams with as fierce a rivalry as the Oilers and Calgary Flames, but that doesn’t mean they are impossible. Flames general manager Brad Treliving has been in the market for a winger, and had been considering both Phil Kessel and Evan Rodrigues when they were free agents. Perhaps Puljujarvi could turn out to be the final piece of his puzzle.

With just over $2 million in cap space, the Flames would not be able to take on Puljujarvi’s deal without sending something back. Interestingly enough, they currently have 10 defensemen on one-way contracts and are looking to move at least one before training camp. One name that has been rumored to be on the block is Oliver Kylington.

Kylington, 25, is coming off of a career season in which he put up 31 points in 73 outings. As a result of his play, he was recently rewarded with a two-year, $5 million extension that carries an average annual value of $2.5 million. While swapping Puljujarvi for him wouldn’t create a ton of cap space for the Oilers, it would help slightly, and even more important it would give the Oilers a reliable left hand shot defenseman on what is somewhat of an underwhelming blue line at this time.

Though the Oilers did recently sign Ryan Murray to a one-year contract, their left side could still use some improvement. Philip Broberg is believed to be playing the right side for the 2022-23 season, leaving just Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak and Murray as the only roster locks on the left. After that, there will be a competition between guys such as Slater Koekkoek, Dmitri Samorukov and Markus Niemelainen, none of whom are as good of players as Kylington. It doesn’t seem all that likely to happen, but a Puljujarvi for Kylington swap could make some sense for both sides.

Puljujarvi Trade Seems Probable Once Again

As mentioned above, the steam around a Puljujarvi trade died immensely throughout the month of August, but has picked right back up with Rishaug’s latest tweet. The good news is that it seems the Oilers aren’t rushing to move him in order to maximize a return the best they can, but at this point, it appears he may be the odd man out rather than a player like Warren Foegele or Tyson Barrie.

Next: Oilers Being Linked to Free Agent Forward Jake Virtanen