Edmonton Oilers Could Place Waiver Claim on Pittsburgh Penguins Forward

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Liam McCormick
November 26, 2024 (1:08 PM)

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The Pittsburgh Penguins placed 25 year old forward Valtteri Puustinen on waivers today, and multiple sources suggest the Edmonton Oilers should make a claim on him.

Puustinen was a seventh round draft pick of the Penguins in 2019, and has already played total of 63 career games in the NHL, scoring 6 goals and 23 points.

He has had some offensive success in the AHL, scoring 24 goals and 59 points in 2022-23, but that talent hasn't translated yet to the NHL level.

The 5'10 Finnish winger has top 10 percentile speed and has played well in all areas of the ice in a depth role in Pittsburgh, with his only major shortcoming with finishing abilities.

Given the Oilers need for speed and youth in their bottom six forward group, several Oilers analysts have suggested that Edmonton place a claim on Puustinen.

Edmonton took a chance on a very similar player last week by claiming Kasperi Kapanen on waivers. Puustinen even scored at a higher rate than Kapanen last year.

Another boost for Puustinen's case is his contract status. He's signed for the league minimum of $775K, and those $225K savings can be valuable as a cap-strapped team like the Oilers.

Interestingly, Coach Knoblauch recently told the media that the Oilers were interested in Kapanen before he hit waivers - meaning they're in on most young, speedy depth forwards.

The Oilers are also facing injuries to forwards Zach Hyman and Victor Arvidsson at the moment, which could increase their immediate need to get a forward in the lineup. Their AHL team is also dealing with a few significant forward injuries, too.

It'll be interesting to see if the Oilers try to place a claim on Puustinen, especially after they've already claimed a similar player in Kapanen. It could be a sign they're interested in players of that type, but they could've already got their guy.

Stan Bowman has this opportunity to reshape an old bottom six that he inherited into a younger, faster, longer term solution.