The Edmonton Oilers avoided arbitration with Jesse Puljujarvi, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract extension for 2022-23.
The Edmonton Oilers have avoided arbitration with one of their top young players.
With roughly 24 hours remaining until both sides were scheduled to meet before an arbitrator, the Oilers and forward Jesse Puljujarvi found common ground on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract extension worth $3 million.
While the young Fin might now have a contract for next season, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be spending the year in Edmonton.
Puljujarvi is a young, possession-driving, forechecking, puck-hungry, defensively responsible winger with positional versatility and some developmental runway left who is now signed for a reasonable price heading into 2022-23.
The 24-year-old is coming off a very respectable season in which he racked up 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 65 games while logging a little over 16 minutes in ice time per night. While the half-point-per-game pace that Puljujarvi scored at is fine on its own, the numbers suggest he was due for even more last season thanks to a measly 8.8 percent shooting percentage that came well below his career average.
Despite all of Puljujarvi's strengths, though, trade speculation has followed him around all summer long, with reports indicating that the Oilers are indeed looking to move on from him but haven't received a suitable offer.
Securing a contract for next season is sure to help Puljujarvi's value on the open market, as teams are now aware of how much he'll make and can plan accordingly. Perhaps a trade isn't too far behind after today's news. But, for the moment, the Oilers managed to lock in a fantastic player at a very reasonable price.