Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours. Each day we look at the latest happening around the NHL and give our analysis on it. Today, we look at some Edmonton Oilers trade rumours that are courtesy of TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. Rishaug reports that the team is still actively looking to move Jesse Puljujarvi. He also mentions that Tyson Barrie isn’t a likely candidate to be moved this year, even if they want to clear some space.
.to another F as well. Continuing to pursue all trade options for Puljujarvi – the most obvious move to clear out some cap space. If it doesn’t happen they can still start with what they’ve got but it’ll be razor thin margin budget-wise and could cause issues later in season…/
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) September 12, 2022
NHL Rumours: Edmonton Oilers Trying to Move Some Pieces
It has long felt like a split between Puljujarvi and Edmonton was coming. However, most seemed to have thought it would have been a couple of seasons ago when he went across seas to continue his development. Instead, he returned to Edmonton and for a little while, things seemed to be going alright. Lately, it has felt like Puljujarvi has become the whipping boy at times for fans in Edmonton.
Meanwhile in Finland, #Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi scored twice & added an assist today as Karpat beat IFK Helsinki 7-3 in @smliiga action.#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/AWFlYNXXOh
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 9, 2020
The former fourth overall pick in 2016 just never lived up to the draft hype he received. Despite that, he has turned himself into an incredibly effective player. His underlying metrics are some of the better ones in Edmonton. Almost every teammate he plays with sees better on-ice numbers with him vs without him. The issue? Shooting talent. Puljujarvi struggles to finish on a lot of the chances that have been created which unfortunately does not fit what Edmonton needs. The Oilers desperately need depth scoring behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
What Comes Next Now
Because of the lack of finishing, Edmonton has been looking to move him this off-season. They did re-sign him to a one-year, $3 million deal. However, lots of people believed that would help him be moved as teams would know his exact price tag. Regardless of what you think of Puljujarvi, he is absolutely worth $3 million. Even if all he becomes is a middle-six guy who can slide up and down your lineup but play effectively wherever that’s a useful piece.
The issue for Edmonton? So few teams have cap space. Currently, 12 teams are listed over the cap with another 11 being within $3 million or less. That leaves just nine teams that could take on Puljujarvi’s deal without sending a contract back. Some of those teams still have their own players to re-sign. All of this makes for a tough market as Edmonton won’t just give him away for nothing. However, if they do have to keep him, there are much worse players you could be icing on your team. If they do move Puljujarvi, or even if they don’t, look for the Oilers to offer some PTOs this training camp.
