What’s going to happen with Oilers Forward Jesse Puljujarvi?
Edmonton is in a tough situation right now. Yes, they made the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2006. They are taking strides forward. However, they got swept by the Colorado Avalanche and the clock is ticking. McDavid and Draisaitl only have 4 and 3 years left, respectively. Nevertheless, GM’s such as Julien BriseBois have had similar situations like this and made the most of it. Ken Holland has some tough decisions to make, one of them being RFA F Jesse Puljujarvi. Yes, the core of the Oilers is locked up for the time being, but some of the young guns will want extensions. It’s possible, but Holland has to manage his money smartly.
Production
Coming off a 36 point regular season in only 65 games, the 24 year old Swede held his own this year. Yes, he played alongside McDavid/Draisaitl, who both had 100+ points this year. Yet, there is still room to grow for Puljujarvi. In the playoffs, though, Jesse went silent – only producing 3 total points. This being his 5th year on the Oilers and his best season yet, GM Ken Holland has a tough choice to make. Do you give him a couple more years and trust it, or let him go?
Cap Issues
With the Oilers having UFA’s like Evander Kane (17 points 15 GP), alongside RFA F Kailer Yamamoto (7 points 14 GP), they want to get paid. With only $7.1 million in the bank and veterans departing – plus the potential retirement of Mike Smith, Edmonton is in a tough position. Edmonton has a total of 8 UFA’s this offseason, 5 forwards, 2 defensemen and a goalie in Koskinen. Holland may have to let Puljujarvi go because cap circumstances, plus he has been kind of underwhelming. With that little money in the bank + multiple team needs, it might have been his last season in Edmonton.
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All stats provided in this article are credited to Hockey-reference.com. All salary cap notes are provided by Capfriendly.com
