Jesse Puljujarvi NHL career likely over after Penguins move him out of organization
Former Oilers first round draft pick Jesse Puljujarvi is likely seeing the end of his NHL career after the Penguins moved to place him on unconditional waivers.
Puljujarvi had been benched and scratched by the Penguins for most of the season, and was recently sent down to the AHL. Now, he will become a free agent.
Pittsburgh Penguins terminate contract of Jesse Puljujarvi
According to NHL insiders, the Penguins will place Puljujarvi on unconditional waivers before terminating his contract. His salary is only $800K, so this move is more about getting him out of the organization.
The Finnish forward showed some unusual frustration over the Penguins treatment of him earlier this year. Coming off of double hip surgery last season, Puljujarvi had a decent year with 3 goals and 9 points in 26 games - but the Coach had no interest in playing him.
- Ilta-Sanomat, Translated from Finnish
Given that the Penguins are terminating his contract for under $1M, it seems that there were no possible takers for Puljujarvi in any trade.
Puljujarvi will now be a free agent, but if a team wouldn't trade future considerations to acquire him, he's likely done in the NHL.
When Puljujarvi was with the Oilers, he once demanded a trade or threatened to leave to play overseas. It seems unlikely now that he'd take an AHL deal to make an NHL comeback in the future, so leaving to Europe may be the path forward for Puljujarvi.
Oilers fans will be wishing the best for a Puljujarvi personally, who became a divisive player in his time in Edmonton and the rest of the NHL.
The Bison King is a quality personality and has the raw physical ability to be a great player, but never had the skill to put it together as a productive player. Hopefully he lands on his feet wherever his endeavours take him.
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