Is Jesse Puljujärvi Really Part Of The Problem In Edmonton?
What if the Oilers are really just the underachieving west coast version of the Florida Panthers? The Panthers have found the right supporting cast to supplement the likes of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau to create a beast contender in the Eastern Conference. The difference between Edmonton and Florida is guys like Jesse Puljujärvi aren’t performing to the level that a Sam Reinhart is on the other side.
Bill Zito has done a tremendous job supplementing his two stars with an incredible supporting cast. Reinhart, Anthony Duclair, Anton Lundell, Mason Marchment, and others have all done their part. As if trading for Claude Giroux wasn’t another luxury addition.
Ken Holland has been blasted for some of the decisions he’s made. The only difference is everyone is ignoring the fact that both guys botched the goalie situation. Mikko Koskinen and Sergei Bobrovsky are both overpaid bums. The difference is Florida is winning.
The overall team defense is still an issue. Tyson Barrie has never been that guy. Duncan Keith is as old as dirt. Darnell Nurse has never been an analytical darling but he’s the only thing keeping this afloat. Even if the trade for Brett Kulak helps.
Puljujärvi, in particular, is one player under the microscope. On the surface, if you’re skating with Connor McDavid, you should automatically be a point machine. That, of course, has not happened for Puljujärvi, and is taking a lot of heat for not finishing those grade-A scoring chances on feeds from McDavid.
It’s hard to not focus more in on Puljujärvi considering the fact that Evander Kane has thrived in Edmonton. No, Kane isn’t a perfect player. He still takes too many stupid penalties but he’s doing what Puljujärvi is not. Finding the back of the net.
Kane, 30, despite receiving limited power play time, has 29 points in 34 games. 16 of those are goals (15 of which coming at even strength). Kane is one of the biggest reasons why Edmonton has improved since the coaching change to Jay Woodcroft. Well, that and the reinsertion of Tyson Barrie as the team’s powerplay quarterback (that alone probably justified the Dave Tippet firing).
When you watch Edmonton, it remains unthinkable that they’re not better than they are. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are constantly doing things to impact the game. The supporting cast frankly isn’t doing their job. Through 73 games, Edmonton has 90 points and likely will finish in second place in the Pacific Division. Still, it feels like the Oilers have another tier to climb to become true Cup contenders.
Puljujärvi absolutely deserves heat but maybe not for everything. Two things can be true; the Oilers can be better with Puljujärvi on the ice while also crushing him for not scoring enough.
Puljujärvi does more than one thing well. He’s a possession monster and plays really good defense. Not the worst guy in the world to pair with Connor McDavid. Especially if Evander Kane is the other winger. Based on age and cap hit, you can do worse than Puljujärvi.
How important or how lucky is finishing rate? For Puljujärvi, it’s hard to watch. His 4% shooting percentage since January 1st is downright putrid. In 59 games, Puljujärvi has just 13 goals. His 7% finishing rate is a big reason why. It doesn’t take long to watch an Oiler game and notice how many great opportunities Puljujärvi has squandered to score.
The sad part is that may be really unfair. Overall, the guy actually does make a difference. His 58.6 CF% number is damn good. Overall, he’s doing the little things on the ice and making a positive impact.
So what the hell do you do with Puljujärvi? Do you hope and pray he can figure things out and eventually will score on those easy opportunities? Do you move Puljujärvi down the pecking order to be paired with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Maybe, but probably not considering Nugent-Hopkins has his own set of issues. Additionally, Puljujärvi is a restricted free agent this summer. Does anybody even know what he’s worth?
There is still room to grow but only if the guy starts lighting up the lamp. Overall, Jesse Puljujärvi makes a positive impact. He’s also the same guy preventing Edmonton from becoming the modern day version of the Florida Panthers. It’s not all on Puljujärvi but for the Oilers to reach new heights, they either need to find an upgrade or have Puljujärvi start scoring. The time is now.
