In a candid interview with Finnish journalist Tommi Seppälä earlier this month, Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi laid bare his eroding confidence.
“Of course I’d like to be a productive top-line player, but right now it looks like I can’t do that in (the) NHL,” Puljujarvi, who has one goal in 31 games this season, told Seppälä.
The story of Puljujarvi and the Oilers, who drafted him at No. 4 in 2016, has been filled with twists and turns. The one certainty is that it will not have a happy ending.
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last weekend that “there was a conversation at the beginning of the season between the team and Puljujarvi’s representatives where it was decided if things didn’t go well, the Oilers would try to move him.”
When Puljujarvi is on his game, he can make an impact on both sides of the puck. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound power forward is a solid forechecker and responsible defender.
On Tuesday, Puljujarvi turned a loose puck recovery behind the Predators’ net into a high-quality scoring chance for Connor McDavid.
But Puljujarvi’s inability to produce consistently when playing alongside McDavid has long been a source of frustration in Edmonton.
“If you play with Connor, you have to score,” Puljujarvi said to Seppälä. “You have to win battles and make plays at the same time.”
Last season, Puljujarvi shared the ice with McDavid for 627:29 at even strength. Despite spending so much time with the Art Ross Trophy winner, Puljujarvi scored only seven 5-on-5 goals when on the ice with him. Through 31 games this season, Puljujarvi has not scored in 109:36 of even-strength ice time with McDavid.
“Maybe I just don't have it,” said Puljujarvi, who has mostly been playing on the Oilers’ third line. Although Puljujarvi is not as involved in offensive situations this season, it appears he is shying away from the puck when given those opportunities.
Puljujarvi is best suited for a low-pressure, bottom-six role that includes time on the power play, where he is an effective net-front presence.
Puljujarvi told Seppälä that he has started focusing more on the physical aspects of his game. Watch how Puljujarvi, who leads the Oilers with 67 hits, facilitates an odd-man rush with a hard body check on Blackhawks defenceman Caleb Jones earlier this season:
In Friedman’s latest “32 Thoughts” column, he wrote that “Anaheim, Carolina and Detroit have at least looked into (trading for Puljujarvi).” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek was spotted at the Oilers’ games in Minnesota and Nashville earlier this week.
Puljujarvi’s $3 million cap hit and upcoming qualifying offer, as well as his lack of production, will make it difficult for the Oilers to acquire someone or something of equal value in a trade. At this point, the Oilers probably should just take what they can get.
Data from Sportlogiq
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