It finally happened. Jesse Puljujarvi, at long last, is getting his fresh start. News broke out this morning that he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for prospect Patrik Puistola. Also from Finland, where he is currently playing and drafted 73rd overall in 2019, Puistola put up 38 points in 56 games with Jukurit Mikkeli in SM-Liiga this season. He’s listed as a “Forward,” which makes me think he can play either wing or center positions. He looks like he could be a solid and versatile depth forward to either call up occasionally or have in the bottom two lines if he plays well enough to earn that spot. The biggest win in this trade is not the return but the lack thereof.
None of Puljujarvi’s $3M cap hit is retained in the deal, so Ken Holland can use this freed-up cap space to see about targeting a defenseman with just three days left to the Trade Deadline. From Carolina’s perspective, they are getting a still young two-way winger with size who plays a terrific defense first game but has been struggling to bury his scoring chances throughout the last couple of seasons. It took a while for this inevitable trade to happen, partially because Holland tried to sell him for more than what other teams thought he was worth at this moment. I loved this player and wish he could stay. But both sides needed to move on. Puljujarvi stated in a Finnish interview a few months ago that he was losing confidence. So much so that even playing on McDavid’s wing early on didn’t help his stats go up. His current production would be fine if he were a career bottom-six forward, but not for a former 4th overall pick. Many thought that returning from playing in his home country in 2020 would be a remedy for him. Otherwise, this trade wouldn’t have happened. Maybe playing with fellow Finn and former SM-Liiga teammate Sebastian Aho can rejuvenate some of that lost offensive gift that he has the potential to display. Until then, I bid the Bison King farewell. May he enjoy all the pizza slices that his new NHL home has to offer.
