Pittsburgh Penguins Take Strange Action With Jesse Puljujarvi After Being Placed on Waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed Jesse Puljujarvi on waivers yesterday, but strangely, he's yet to report to the AHL and is still actively practicing with the Penguins.
The Finnish forward only played one game in the month of December leading up to the healthy scratch, and it's looking possible it could be the end of Puljujarvi's NHL career.
However instead of reporting to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, Puljujarvi is apparently still skating in Pittsburgh.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan explained the decision to waive Puljujarvi as being fair to the player, which may allude to him getting more ice time on another team or in the AHL - so when he showed up to Penguins practice today, it was a strange sight.
If the Penguins recall Puljujarvi in the next day or two, it would then appear that they were just floating him through waivers to see if another team would claim him for free.
They're surely not intending to play him after sitting him for an entire month. It's unclear what their plans are, but it doesn't look like being fair to the player with more ice time.
Will Jesse Puljujarvi Be Able to Save his NHL Career?
The fact that no other team placed a claim on Puljujarvi, a former fourth overall draft pick only under contract for $800K, is a harsh reflection of where is NHL career is.
Puljujarvi has expressed frustrations with the Penguins coach and brass for scratching him so consistently while he's rehabbing from double hip surgery. He's claimed that he needs steady playing time to rehab fully, and is instead getting press box treatment from the Penguins.
Oilers fans will obviously know Puljujarvi well, and some even clamoured for Edmonton to claim him on waivers.
The Oilers selected Puljujarvi in the 2016 draft and he went on to play 6 seasons with the team, earning love from some fans but never making a major impact on the ice.
In 62 games since leaving the Oilers, Puljujarvi has only scored 6 goals and 14 points. It's simply not good enough production to stay in the NHL, and it looks like his time may be coming to an end.
