There it is folks and just as Puljujarvi said it would happen. The former 4th overall pick for the Edmonton Oilers has signed for the year to play for his old Finnish club team, Oulu Karpat.
Nothing like some 1 am Oilers news to get wake you up!
Kärpät on solminut yksivuotisen sopimuksen hyökkääjä Jesse Puljujärven kanssa! 🔥🔥🔥
TIEDOTE: https://t.co/8KFglhnwDQ#Kärpät #Liiga #CHL pic.twitter.com/4U1SlKl0St
— Oulun Kärpät (@OulunKarpatFi) August 27, 2019
Jesse has an out in the deal that will allow him to return to the NHL before December 1st. That date is important because if he doesn’t sign with an NHL club before that, he’d be unable to play in the NHL for the entire season.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody as he did state that he’d be choosing where he’d play by September.
I feel like this is the best option for everyone and that’s for a couple of reasons:
- It’ll give everyone time to cool off and let cooler heads prevail.
- If Puljujarvi is lighting up the SM-Liiga that could bring in better offers and allow the Oilers to get the deal they’ve been looking for since Holland took over. It also might entice Holland to negotiate a better deal with Puljujarvi himself.
And contrary to reports that interest in Puljujarvi is “tepid, at best”, there is interest among at least four Eastern conference teams I’ve been told. I do wonder if GMs are waiting for the dominoes to drop amongst the numerous high-end RFAs that have yet to sign…
It’s weird, regarding Jesse playing over in Europe, I read this over at the Cult of Hockey not too long ago,
However, I can confirm that at least as of yesterday…no such offer has been forthcoming, nor has there ever been a negotiation. And to be fair to Karpat manager Harri Aho, he didn’t say there had been. But it is surely a coincidence that Aho should make any comment at all. After all, Aho’s son Sebastian Aho is property of the Carolina Hurricanes. And the ‘Canes are one of several clubs thought to be interested in Puljujarvi. How about that, hey?
No disrespect to Kurt. I think recently people think that I’ve really been laying into him personally and that’s not the case. He’s only reporting what he’s been told. So if anything, I’m laying into his source. That quote above, it seemed odd to make that proclamation so early in the summer, but hey, things change all of the time don’t they? But the tone over at the CoH towards Jesse has been awfully slanted until very recent.
My feeling is that Mr. Leavins’ quotes have been getting some traction in Europe and I wonder if those in Finland have not taken to kindly to this sort of coverage of one of their native sons.
“If” it seemed more likely that Jesse Puljujarvi could find a landing spot in Europe, then that would conceivably make it harder for Oilers G.M. Ken Holland to wait on a trade that holds a greater return for his club.
By this sentiment, the pressure is on Oilers GM Ken Holland?
I don’t believe that to be the case at all. As I said earlier, there are a few scenarios that might facilitate a trade, but from those sources that I’ve talked to on both sides of the Atlantic, Jesse is as happy to play in Finland as he would to play in North America. He’d obviously like to be showing what he can do in the NHL, but he’s fine waiting things out until a situation he deems acceptable appears.
The timing of both story and comments are more than curious. What’s that called again, when you pretend to hold better cards in your hand than you actually have?
Oh my, how the tables have turned after only one hand has been played.
