Jesse Puljujarvi will miss the rest of this season with the Edmonton Oilers. It was confirmed on Thursday that Puljujarvi would undergo hip surgery to correct an injury.

Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi Out For Season

Jesse Puljujarvi will not play again this season. He will have hip surgery next week. #Oilers #NHL

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) February 28, 2019

Puljujarvi had initially moved to the injured reserve on February 18th. The move was retroactive to February 15th, which was the last game he had appeared in. At the time, the team confirmed the winger suffered a lower-body injury. There was some speculation that the issue was with his knee, but now it’s clear the damage was to his hip.

First, reports stated that Puljujarvi had a consultation with a doctor who informed him the injury would require surgery. Later, the forward opted to seek a second opinion. The thought is he was hoping to avoid the season-ending outcome that an operation would bring. After obtaining the second opinion, Puljujarvi has found the surgical path unavoidable.

There’s been some controversy around the news of his injury. Some speculated the Oilers were looking to send Puljujarvi down to the AHL. There was chatter that he was seeking the second opinion to avoid being sent to the AHL. He was also a hot topic ahead of the trade deadline. Landing on the IR means the winger won’t be eligible to sent down to the AHL for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Currently, Puljujarvi owns four goals and five assists for nine points in 46 games this season. He is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st. At the moment, it’s unknown whether the team will extend a contract offer or not.

What this means for the future

Initially, the Oilers recalled Josh Currie from the AHL when Puljujarvi moved to the IR. Currie has slotted in on the third line with Colby Cave and Milan Lucic. Most likely, he will continue to do so for the remainder of the season.

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