Gazzola on Puljujarvi: “I’ve heard that even the closest guys on the team to him were like, ‘We tried…'”

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Gazzola: Jesse Puljujarvi and Oilers heading towards a split

Tom Gazzola of TSN 1260 and The Oil Stream said earlier today that it sounds like the Edmonton Oilers and forward Jesse Puljujarvi are heading towards a split.
Even though Puljujarvi came over with a new coaching staff and new management in charge, it never felt like he was locked in as a core member of the team.
The smart play here would be to re-sign the player to a one or two-year deal as a relatively low cap hit and get a few more seasons of value from him before making a final decision.
It should absolutely be noted though, that this very well may not be 100% on the organization.
…it’s worth noting that it was easy to see there were plenty of moments where the Oiler’s big guns were frustrated with some of the mistakes Puljujarvi made on the ice.
If you’re going to part with someone that has the kind of potential that Puljujarvi does, then it needs to be in a deal that makes the Edmonton Oilers better.
If there is a player on the market that can slot into the Oiler’s top six and score 25-30 goals in the Oiler’s top six and is on a reasonable contract, then that could be a deal that makes sense.
- Lawson Crouse, Connor Brown, and Dylan Strome are three players that fit that description.

BLH’s Thoughts: Here are some quotes from the podcast that Yaremchuk is referring to and if you want to watch/listen to the whole segment, I’ve included that below!

“Here’s what I’ve been told, here’s my understanding, here’s what I know. Take it as you want to, I’ll preface it by saying I like Jesse Puljujarvi. I like the person, I like the player, I think he’s going to be a good player. What kind of player he becomes, we shall see. Dusty, a couple years ago, I remember telling you I was sitting at The Pint watching the NBA final… I sat with Jesse… And at half time we starting talking… I asked him if he was coming back and he said, ‘No. Fresh start. I need to go somewhere else.’ and he ended up going to Finland… It sounds like and from what I understand that the topic of fresh starts is coming up again and it’s not the Oilers just saying we’re done with Jesse Puljujarvi. I think there’s kind of a mutual understanding there that both sides are okay with moving on. That is the best way to describe how the situation is and what has been told to me about Jesse Puljujarvi. It’s not they need him to play with skilled players, it just feels like it’s time to move on and everybody kind of agrees… I would be surprised if he ends up in an Oilers uniform next season.”

I was under the impression that a few years ago Jesse couldn’t speak English. Yet, Gazzola is telling us that he had a half-time conversation with JP about his health and his future… Weird. Was the whole language barrier some made up BS story or is Tom fluent in Finnish or did the two have a really broken conversation about some really serious stuff that Gazzola is taking to the bank?

Also, is anybody else concerned that there’s only one media guy in the whole of Edmonton’s fish bowl hockey market reporting that the Oilers and Puljujarvi have agreed that it’s time to move on? The Spectors, Stauffers, Rishaugs, Mathesons, they’re all just saying that there’s a good chance Pulju is traded to which I’m assuming stemmed from Ken Holland’s year-end presser where he said he had things to figure out with regards to the Finn. Nothing out of Seravalli, Dreger, Friedman, Kypreos, etc. either… I’m not saying Gazzola is talking out of turn, don’t get me wrong. I’m just curious why nobody else is reporting this mutual split. Maybe Tom’s the early bird, who knows? Good on him if so.

“I heard rumblings… He’s not disliked. You have people you work with, went to school with, they’re just the odd man out. They just are. It’s not for a lack of trying or anything like that, they just don’t fit in and it sounds like that is the case to some extent. Is it extreme? Probably not. Is it as bad as people think? Probably not. I’ve heard that even the closest guys on the team to him were like, ‘We tried… But (shrugs)… It’s got to be a two-way street and he doesn’t want to be engaged or fit in or run with everybody, be on the same page’ or however you want to describe it. Is it an issue/red flag? Yeah… He’s not “one of the boys” kind of thing.”

I’ve been told that Jesse is very well liked in the room and anything said differently by media members in Edmonton is self-serving. That said, I can see how a group of young unmarried hockey players would treat an individual who’s more of an introvert. Especially if there’ve been challenges in the past working together.

“I’ve heard a few people throwing some rumors and whispers around and it peaks my interest, but I have a feeling he ends up in the Eastern Conference somehow… maybe Montreal would be open to him. There’s a lot of movement going on there with their new management team. Everybody’s apparently up for grabs in Montreal to an extent…”

Dustin Nielson brought up the Hurricanes as a destination he’d like Pulju to be dealt to and I wonder if that’s more of a reality today than it was in the past. Carolina has Marty Necas that is an RFA as well and needs to be re-signed and if they can’t do anything with DeAngelo, Tyson Barrie would take his place no questions asked. Rod Brind’Amour would love Jesse and he’d join the ever growing Finnish Mafia Tom Dundon’s building up in Raleigh. We also know that that organization is very analytics driven and you’d have to be living under a rock not to know how well JP’s fancies have been since he joined the NHL.

If Ken Holland can do Ethan Bear a favor, why not do Jesse this one solid and re-unite him with Seb Aho down in Carolina?

Here we go….the JP episode. https://t.co/IH0T6zEPN4

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) June 29, 2022

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

Asked which players could be cost-cutting trade candidates, [Spector] listed Zack Kassian ($3.2 million), Warren Foegele ($2.75 million) and Tyson Barrie ($4.5 million). He also included restricted free agent Jesse Puljujarvi depending on his pay raise.
(Terry) Koshan wonders how the Liljegren signing affects Justin Holl’s future with the Leafs. While he carries an affordable $2 million cap hit for next season, re-signing Sandin is a priority. He also anticipates trade-deadline pickup Ilya Lyubushkin will hit the open market on July 13.
Lachlan Irvine cites CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reporting the Vancouver Canucks have had early discussions with Ethan Bear. The restricted free agent defenseman was given permission by the Carolina Hurricanes to speak with other clubs.
Josh Wegman cites The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reporting sources claiming the Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t had regular contract talks with Evgeni Malkin since mid-May.
Jesse Granger speculated over whether Nicolas Roy or Nicolas Hague will be targeted for offer sheets by rival clubs. Both players are restricted free agents with the Vegas Golden Knights.

NHLRumors.com

New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald let it be known that the No. 2 overall pick could be available but Juraj Slafkovsky could be the perfect winger for Jack Hughes.
If the Edmonton Oilers are looking to trade forward Zack Kassian, two potential teams that could use his toughness are the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators. Sens D.J. Smith coached him in junior.
If he goes back to the Sharks, Mark Spector suggests the Edmonton Oilers could trade for (Evander) Kane. The Oilers have some cap concerns and may need to move out some salary and candidates are Zack Kassian (two years at $3.2 million), Jesse Puljujarvi (RFA who could get between $2 and $4 million), Tyson Barrie (two years at $4.5 million) or Warren Foegele (two years at $2.75 million).