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It was recently reported that Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi has demanded a trade out of Edmonton.
According to TSN’s Hockey Insider analyst, Darren Dreger
“Jesse Puljujarvi has made it clear to the Edmonton Oilers he wants to be traded. He wants a fresh start to his young NHL career”.
Overall, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to many as Puljujarvi’s name has come up in the trade rumors recently.
Jesse Puljujarvi Wants Out
In the grand scheme of things, this is not great news for the Edmonton Oilers.
Teams around the NHL knows that Puljujarvi wants out. As a result, this gives the Oilers less bargaining power on any potential trade. On top of that, Puljujarvi hasn’t done much in his young NHL career to warrant a huge return.
Through 139 NHL games with the Oilers, Puljujarvi only managed to score 17 goals and 37 points. The 21-year-old only managed four goals and nine points in 46 games last season.
Oilers in No Rush to Trade
On another note, Dreger reported that “ the Oilers are willing to accommodate, but won’t give him away and intend on being patient in finding a right fit.”
Jesse Puljujarvi has made it clear to the Edmonton Oilers he wants to be traded. He wants a fresh start to his young NHL career. It’s believed the Oilers are willing to accommodate, but won’t give him away and intend on being patient in finding a right fit.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 19, 2019
Puljujarvi’s agent Markus Lehto, also told Sportsnet, “If [Puljujarvi] doesn’t get traded, he will play in Europe next year. He will not play in Edmonton.”
With this in mind, a Puljujarvi trade may take some time to come to fruition.
On the other hand, it sounds like Oilers’ GM Ken Holland is willing to wait for the right deal to come along and not trade Puljujarvi away for nothing.
Jesse Puljujarvi Potential in the NHL
Puljujarvi was one of the most hyped prospects at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. But ever since entering the league, he has yet to be the high-impact player many scouts expected him to be.
He hasn’t been able to score more than 12 goals or 20 points in a single season. over the past three seasons with the Oilers, he has struggled become a consistent top-nine forward for the team.
At the same time, we can’t forget that Puljujarvi is only 21. So it might be too early to write him off, as there is still time for him to figure things out in the NHL.
But sadly for Edmonton fans, they probably won’t get to see Puljujarvi hit his prime in an Oilers uniform.
The Oilers Going Forward
At this point, not all is lost for the Oilers. Given Puljujarvi’s untapped potential, some teams may be willing to take a chance on developing him.
In return, the Oilers could potentially get a more experienced player they could inject in their lineup right away.
Right now, it is all rumors and speculations, but could the Toronto Maple Leafs potentially be a viable trade partner?
They are trying to give Mitch Marner a new big raise. this means they will have to find ways to shed salary.
Some rumours suggest that a name like Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen or even Nazem Kadri may be moved out.
With that said, could a potential deal revolving around one of those names for Puljujarvi work out for both sides?
