Former Oiler Jesse Puljujarvi Admits Annoyance With Penguins Treatment of Him

Jesse Puljujarvi is playing his first full year since recovering from double hip surgery in the 2023 offseason, a famously difficult injury to recover from.

Despite playing well to begin the year and in his limited opportunities, the Penguins are repeatedly healthy scratching him, and now Puljujarvi says it's beginning to «annoy» him.

In a Finnish interview, Puljujarvi opened up about how the healthy scratches are affecting his hips and potentially his career.

Puljujarvi has 3 goals and 8 points in 21 games this season, a decent scoring rate for a bottom six forward on a struggling Penguins team. He's not only played in one of the last 8 Penguins games.

Earlier this season, Coach Mike Sullivan explained his decision to scratch Puljujarvi was avout his attention to details, which hasn't lined up with what anyone else saw, and is now having real consequences.

Puljujarvi is saying he's finding it difficult to get into any rhythm with his hips with these extended periods of time in the press box, and he's being extremely discouraged in his rehab from injury.

This clearly shows he's unhappy with the situation now in Pittsburgh, which could soon lead to a change of scenery. It's likely that Puljujarvi would welcome a trade to another team, or even to be sent to the AHL for regular ice time.

If he doesn't get into the lineup soon, it's looking like Puljujarvi's time in Pittsburgh will come to an end soon. Hopefully it does too, for the future of his career. Oilers fans will still be wishing the best for Puljujarvi in his next chapter, when it comes.

More details and analysis to come.