The Edmonton Oilers need to figure out what to do with Jesse Puljujarvi before his value is completely diminished. The 21-year-old has become one of the most mismanaged hockey prospects in recent memory. Poor situational deployment, and a failure to manage injuries has caused Puljujarvi to lose trust in the Oilers management. The Oilers have been informed that Puljujarvi has no interest in returning to play in Edmonton.
Regardless of what they get in return, the Oilers will come out as losers in this situation. They drafted Puljujarvi in 2016 with the fourth overall pick, and he hasn’t found a way to fit in. Some of the struggles are self-inflicted, however the Oilers have to shoulder some of the blame.
The Problem
Puljujarvi made the opening night roster to start the 2016-17 season, and split time between the NHL and AHL that season. The NHL portion of his season was an adjustment, as he only recorded one goal and 8 points in 28 games. However, his AHL numbers were significantly better, with 28 points in 39 games. For an 18-year-old debuting on North American ice, those numbers offered some promise.
Puljujarvi’s sophomore season was challenging. He recorded 5 points in 10 games with the Bakersfield Condors before returning to the NHL for the remainder of the season. With Edmonton, he recorded just 20 points in 65 games, averaging just over 13 minutes a night. It appeared that keeping him in the AHL may have been a better choice for his development.
Fast forward to the end of 2018-19, and the Oilers have a very unhappy 21-year-old in their system. He is currently an RFA, and it has been reported that he has said he will remain in Finland until he is traded. Not to mention, he is recovering from surgery on both of his hips. Despite the successful repair of his hips, he remains with less optimism, and more questions about his future.
What to do
New Oilers GM Ken Holland has stated that he is trying to find a new fit for Puljujarvi. That is a sign that even with a change in management, Puljujarvi has not developed any new trust for the staff in Edmonton. It currently seems as though the only option is to trade his rights. So where is a good fit for him? Will that team know what to do with Jesse Puljujarvi to continue his development?
There have been numerous questions about Toronto being a fit. Edmonton needs wingers and Toronto has far too many. The Leafs have a first class medical team, and Puljujarvi needs a team he can trust with his health. The issue with Toronto, is that the only logical spot for Puljujarvi would be on the fourth line. Less than 10 minutes of ice time will not be ideal for a player trying to develop into a top-6 winger. Toronto simply will not have the ice time Puljujarvi needs, even in the extremely unlikely event of them losing Mitch Marner. The suggestion constantly floating around is a one-for-one for Jeremy Bracco, but that seems to benefit Bracco far more than Puljujarvi.
A team that can take a risk with Puljujarvi is Carolina. They only have a small amount of cap space left, but at this point, Puljujarvi’s value is low, so he’ll be cheap. He could be a fit next to fellow Finns, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, at least on the powerplay, if not even strength. Carolina has the flexibility in their lineup to give him enough ice time to succeed. He’ll be given every opportunity possible. A trade like this wouldn’t involve Edmonton getting a player back, though. This would likely be for a draft pick.
There’s hope
Make no mistake: Puljujarvi is a skilled, young player. He has shown flashes of brilliance. The Edmonton Oilers simply had no idea what to do with Jesse Puljujarvi. They didn’t develop him properly. They mismanaged his injuries. It is time for a fresh start for both sides. The Oilers will come out on the short end of whatever trade they make. They deserve to. No, not Ken Holland, but probably CEO Bob Nicholson. He has to shoulder some of the blame for the mistakes made by the Chiarelli regime. He also has to let Ken Holland have free reign to fix those mistakes. Unfortunately, one of those fixes involves trading Puljujarvi.
Follow Luke McGrath on Twitter @lukemcgrath_97.
