Jesse Puljujarvi will finally get his first shot at a fresh start.
The Edmonton Oilers have moved the frequently rumoured winger to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for prospect Patrik Puistola.
“Today was more about getting $3 million in cap space,” Oilers general manager Ken Holland said.
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The #Oilers have acquired forward Patrik Puistola from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Jesse Puljujarvi.#LetsGoOilers
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 28, 2023
Puljujarvi, 24, was the No. 4 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 58 games this season, and makes $3 million on an expiring contract set to leave him as a restricted free agent at season’s end.
Puistola, 22,Ā was selected in the third round (No. 73) of the 2019 NHL Draft and has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 56 games with Jukurit in Liiga — Finland’s top men’s circuit.
Edmonton isn’t retaining any salary in the trade, leavingĀ the Oilers with over $4.4 million in deadline salary cap space, according to CapFriendly.
The NHL Trade Deadline is Friday, March 3 at 1 pm MT.
The #oilers aren't retaining any salary on Jesse Puljujarvi, per source, so they've cleared his $3M off the books for a further move.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 28, 2023
Puljujarvi was rumoured as recently as two weeks ago toĀ hit the waiver wire in order to free up some much-needed cap space for Edmonton heading into the trade deadline on Friday. It was also speculated any Puljujarvi trade might not take place in-season.
āJesse possesses a great blend of size and skill, and he will add to the depth of our forward group,ā Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. āHe has familiarity with some of our other Finnish players, and we see him as a great fit for our team and locker room.ā
He has 112 points (51 goals, 61 assists) in 317 career games over parts of six seasons in Edmonton.