While the Carolina Hurricanes season ended in disappointment, the team had a lot to be proud of. Now in the offseason, tough decisions will be made, and management will work to put the team in a place to succeed next season. In the meantime, we will take a look back at individual players’ seasons and see how they did. For the Carolina Hurricanes offseason grades, today we look at Jesse Puljujarvi.
Carolina Hurricanes Offseason Grade: Jesse Puljujarvi
Jesse Puljujarvi has been one of the most perplexing players in the last few years. The Finnish forward was a highly touted prospect in 2016. He had a very impressive World Junior Championship where he led the tournament in goals and won the MVP. He did so on a line with fellow Hurricane Sebastian Aho and the two had great chemistry.
The Edomonton Oilers selected Puljujarvi with the fourth overall pick and had high hopes. However, Puljujarvi has not really been able to put that promise into serious production in the NHL. After five and half seasons in the NHL, the Oilers traded him to the Hurricanes for prospect Patrick Puistola at the trade deadline this year.
Jesse Puljujarvi‘s Regular Season
Puljujarvi’s regular season was less than spectacular and that is reflected in this Carolina Hurricanes offseason grade. He has been a fairly decent player analytically, but the points that Oilers and now Hurricanes would like to see just haven’t come. His highest points total was in 2021-22 when he had 36 in 65 games. This past season, he had 12.7 expected goals, but -7.7 goals scored above expected. His on-ice expected goal differential was 8.4 but his actual goal differential was -10. For a positive, at 6′ 4″ and 201 lbs., Puljujarvi will use his size and finished third on the Hurricanes in hits with 139.
On the scoresheet this past season, Puljujarvi only got five goals and eleven assists in 75 games. With Edmonton this was only five goals and nine assists even though he spent some time on the wing with Connor McDavid. Even though it was more limited time, with Carolina Puljujarvi only put up two assists. He moved all around the lineup, including spending some time with previous linemate Aho but again just couldn’t seem to connect. It was not that Carolina expected him to come in and be the go-to goal scorer, but they likely wanted some depth production from him. He did provide a big body for bottom six depth, but in today’s NHL, you simply have to contribute. This is the case no matter what line you are on.
Jesse Puljujarvi‘s Playoffs
Puljujarvi’s playoffs were pretty much the same as his regular season with Carolina. In some ways it may have been a step back. He only suited up for the Hurricanes in seven games, spending the entire time on the fourth line. Many times, Puljujarvi lost the spot to Mackenzie MacEachern who played the entire regular season in the AHL. Puljujarvi only got one assist in those seven games. His expected goals dropped to 1.1 with a -1.1 goals scored above expected. On a positive side, he led the Hurricanes in Corsi and was second and tied for second in Fenwick and expected goals percentage respectively. Even with the higher advanced analytics, Puljujarvi was fairly unnoticeable in the playoffs. Once again, the depth was welcome but he simply did not seem to click and produce. This was even with Carolina’s Second Round goal scoring explosion to which he played three of the five games.
The Verdict
Simply put, Puljujarivi was pretty much a non-factor for Carolina this season. Even his entire season was a step back from the previous two years. While he had decent advanced analytics, he never really made an impact for the Hurricanes and seemed to struggle to consistently fit in. The former fourth overall pick who had such high expectations simply has not been able to get close to those expectations.
With that said, Puljujariv is 25 and only had a limited showing with Carolina. It is very possible that he could regain some of his offensive potential with the change of scenery, more time under Rod Brind’Amour, and playing more with Aho. It’s probably not fair to expect him to meet his draft expectations, but maybe the key would be for him to learn how to adjust his game to be more effective at the NHL level. Regardless, he is a restricted free agent this offseason with a 3-million-dollar qualifying offer. Does Carolina take a chance on him by betting on his potential? Or do they decide to walk away from that 3-million-dollar deal? Of course, they could also work out a deal for a lesser amount if both sides agreed. It will be interesting to see how Carolina views Puljujarvi this offseason. But if his brief stint with them served as a tryout, he might not be a returning face.
Grade: D
Check out the last Carolina Hurricanes off-season grades article!
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
