Oct 4, 2019
Interest growing in Oilers' Puljujarvi
Jesse Puljujarvi has two goals and seven points in eight games with Oulun Karpat to start the Liiga season and it appears NHL teams are beginning to take notice of his success. According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, teams have expressed their interest in the restricted free agent to the Edmonton Oilers in the last week.
TSN.ca Staff
Jesse Puljujarvi has two goals and seven points in eight games with Oulun Karpat to start the Liiga season and it appears NHL teams are beginning to take notice of his success.
According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, teams have expressed their interest in the restricted free agent to the Edmonton Oilers in the last week.
"Well, it’s the old cliché. I mean, general managers are always open for business and [Ken] Holland is certainly in that position as well," Dreger said on Insider Trading. "A bit of an update on Jesse Puljujarvi, who we understand is playing well in Finland and that’s caught the attention of at least a few NHL clubs who have expressed interest [in] Puljujarvi in the last week.
"There’s nothing doable from Edmonton’s perspective, but it is interesting to say the least. Something could develop in the weeks ahead; if not then Edmonton is willing to stand pat."
Puljujarvi stated his desire for a fresh start away from the Oilers this summer and signed a one-year contract with Karpat last month. The deal, however, includes an NHL opt-out clause until December 1.
The 2016 fourth-overall pick has struggled to carve out a permanent role on the NHL roster with the Oilers since making the leap to the NHL three years ago. His most recent season ended with surgery on both hips in early March. He had four goals and nine points in 46 games before going under the knife.
Oilers general manager Ken Holland said last month he would not a force a trade and added he is prepared to hold onto the 21-year-old's rights this season.
“I believe there are teams out there that are interested,” Holland said, per the Edmonton Journal. “Obviously, I didn’t get anything that I felt that was worth pushing to the final stages and getting a deal done.
“You get into late August and everything kind of goes quiet and now you have prospects tournaments all over the league, so it’s gone quiet. We’ll see, I’m not going to force something. If it’s there, I’ll explore it. If it’s not there, I’m prepared to sit.”
In 139 NHL games, Puljujarvi has 17 goals and 37 points.