The Edmonton Oilers could add a player with incredible potential.
The Edmonton Oilers could add a player with incredible potential.
EDMONTON -- New regime, new priorities.
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The new Edmonton Oilers under Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman look different than they did when Ken Holland took over. Like with any company, changes occur.
Changes happen quicker or slower depending on a team's performance. Last year, the coaching department changed quickly because of the Oilers' putrid start to the season.
Changes don't stop at coaches -- they extend to players as well.
The Oilers could do something that makes sense and surprises many people. It's so unconventional that it just might work.
Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put forward Jesse Puljujarvi on waivers for the purpose of mutual contract termination.
Despite giving Puljujarvi a new lease on his NHL career and signing him to a two-year contract last season, the team is deciding to end their arrangement. It's an understatement to say things haven't gone well for the young forward.
The 6-foot-4 and 216 lbs winger has struggled to get anything more than fourth-line deployment. Additionally, he has been a healthy scratch countless times.
Puljujarvi has nine points in 26 games while playing 11:36 a night.
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Puljujarvi has been up and down on waivers several times this season. That suggests that teams haven't been willing to take a flyer on him at his current cap hit.
However, it may suggest he would be willing to take a league-minimum deal elsewhere. The Oilers are a Stanley Cup contender, which makes them more than a desirable destination for players.
Add to this the fact that Puljujarvi is already familiar with the city, the media, and most of the players.
Puljujarvi is still young. The 26-year-old winger could use the opportunity, and the Oilers would be a great place for him to get that opportunity. After all, his best year offensively came when he played for the Oilers. In 65 games during the 2021-22 season, he collected 36 points and played 16:14 a night.
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He is a big, skilled winger who isn't afraid to forecheck. Kris Knoblauch values this in his wingers, and it would ensure that Puljujarvi keeps his position in the lineup.
While he wouldn't be the "big-game hunting" most fans desire, bringing Puljujarvi back to the Oilers could be an underrated addition to the team.
The worst-case scenario is that the Oilers get a scoring winger for their AHL club, while the best-case scenario is that they add a top-six NHL winger.
And even if things end up somewhere between those two, the Oilers could do much worse.
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