It seems like it's finally time for Puljujarvi and the Oilers to part ways
One goal in 27 games isn’t cutting it for Jesse Puljujarvi.
It’s not doing much for the Edmonton Oilers, either.
“It’s sad,” Puljujarvi told journalist Tommi Seppälä in an exclusive interview with Finnish outlet YLE news agency on Tuesday evening. “I’ve been thinking a lot [about] how to do things differently. Right now, I just don’t have the answer.”
Nyt on raatorehellistä ja kovaa puhetta Jesse Puljujärveltä. Umpisolmu Edmontonissa on tiukemmassa kuin koskaan aiemmin ja sen kuulee pelaajan puheista – jänne on poikki.
"Nyt näyttää siltä, ettei minusta ole siihen rooliin NHL:ssä."https://t.co/zE61Z7PdwT#NHLfi
— Tommi Seppälä (@TommiSeppala) December 7, 2022
He hasn’t been able to find it.
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft doesn’t seem to have it, either.
So the frequently reported chance-of-scenery scenario swap that followed both the 24-year-old Puljujarvi and the Edmonton franchise throughout the summer is best to come to fruition.
It’s a win-win.
Free up some space for the Oilers to make another move, and free up Puljujarvi, the No. 4 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, to regain some confidence in a fresh environment.
“I’m trying to find out who I am as a player since it looks like I don’t fit anywhere here [in Edmonton],” Puljujärvi said in his native Finnish, as translated by Seppälä and published by Mark Spector at Sportsnet. “I’ve started checking a lot and lead the team in hits. At least that’s some positive.”
“Twenty games in and I have one goal. It’s sad.”
In a wide-ranging interview with veteran Finnish reporter Tommi Seppälä, Jesse Puljujärvi said he isn’t sure if the National Hockey League is the place for him anymore. (@SportsnetSpec) https://t.co/2yOB0Y52c4
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 7, 2022
He’s certainly lacking swagger after mustering just six points while averaging 13:48 of ice time in 27 games, at times riding shotgun with the ultra-productive, ultra-talented, ultra-play-driving captain Connor McDavid but more frequently with bottom-sixers Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod.
“Of course I’d like to be a productive top-line player,” Puljujarvi said. “But right now, it looks like I can’t do that in NHL. Maybe some other league.”
Telling words.
Woodcroft’s tell of a coach hoping to work with a player struggling mightily.
“It hasn’t gone in for him, so hearing that…I didn’t love hearing that because I want all our players confident,” Woodcroft told media after the Oilers’ 8-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes, where Puljujarvi was one of just four forwards to fail to record a point.
"It’s nice to see some 'unusual suspects' get on the board, I think it’s good for their overall confidence."
Coach Woodcroft address the media after the #Oilers defeat the Coyotes by a final score of 8-2. https://t.co/M7LkyjVRIu
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 8, 2022
“There’s ebbs and flows in an 82-game schedule, but what we’re focusing on with Jesse is giving him the tools he needs to feel confident, and sometimes that happens in a video room, sometimes that happens on the ice in practice working on specific skills or rehearsing certain moments.
“But in the end, he’s a valued member of our team, somebody who’s much appreciated.
“We don’t just measure his game in how many goals he has through 27 games. We measure if he’s taking a good shift if he’s affecting things on a power play and if he’s being physical and using the frame that he’s been given.
“We’re helping him through that process. He’s not the first person in this league to go through it and the good part is that I know that it’s in there and it’ll come out.”
Puljujarvi still has the potential to roll it back to more productive times.
But it’s time he explore that with another team.
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