The Edmonton Oilers have an opportunity to bring back a fan favourite, and it would cost them absolutely nothing to do so.
To say that Jesse Puljujarvi’s time in Edmonton was a divisive one is an understatement. For the majority of his Oilers tenure, it seemed like fans either loved him or despised him, and both sides had their reasons.
The pro-Puljujarvi side often pointed to his underlying analytics and saw how he drove play in the right direction, while the anti-Puljujarvi side cited a lack of production being an issue. Ultimately, the Oilers decided to move on from the former fourth-overall pick, sending him to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023 in a cap-dump move that helped the Mattias Ekholm trade happen.
Puljujarvi didn’t stay long in Carolina and wound up having extensive hip surgery that summer. He returned to the NHL last December on a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he looked really good to start this year but had failed to win over the trust of head coach Mike Sullivan.
He’s been a healthy scratch for the past nine games. Predictably, the Pens have decided to put Puljujarvi on waivers, which could potentially set up a reunion in Edmonton.
… ok guys, hear me out https://t.co/zXMqdHsUje
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) December 30, 2024
It’s a bit of a mystery why Puljujarvi has found himself in the Pittsburgh press box more often than not this season. He got off to a fantastic start with five points in his first six games, and while that may have started to drop off, he was still putting up fantastic underlying numbers.
He may never live up to his high draft pedigree, but he has morphed into a solid bottom-six forward who helps move the puck in the right direction. This fits what the Oilers need in their forward group, and while he may not be the fastest skater in the world, he does add a little more speed to a group of forwards who lack in that department.
Cap-wise, it’s also a move that can easily be made, as Puljujarvi carries just a $800,000 cap hit. Style-wise, he also seems to fit the bill for a Knoblauch-type system, prioritizing players who can perform in all three areas of the ice. Puljujarvi is a responsible defensive player who has shown offensive instincts. It’s hard to believe the big Finn would find himself in the same doghouse that Jeff Skinner is currently in.
These are all points in favour of an Oilers claim, and it’s honestly a pretty low-risk, high-reward type deal if they want to make it. Yet, considering the history, the likelihood of it happening does seem rather slim. Edmonton GM Stan Bowman has already claimed two players off waivers in Kasperi Kapenen and Alec Regula, and making a third claim probably isn’t at the top of mind.
It would certainly send shockwaves through the Oilers fanbase, however, and would reignite a debate that we all thought was dead.