Opinion: Penguins Are Wasting Opportunity With Jesse Puljujarvi

The forward, who has made a resounding comeback from double-hip surgery, had five points in his first six games before being demoted in the lineup

When training camp for the 2024-25 season began, expectations for Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi weren't sky-high. 

He was coming back for his first fully healthy training camp since his recovery from double-hip surgery in the summer of 2023. But, after making a statement in those exhibition games, he earned a starting roster spot.

Now, it seems all of that has been for naught.

After registering a goal and five points in his first six regular season games with the Penguins this season, Puljujarvi has gone pointless in his last four. Coincidentally, his production started to slip after being relegated to fourth-line duties in the lineup and seeing less ice time.

In those first six games, Puljujarvi averaged 12:24 of ice time. In the three games following, that number dropped to 10:27.

In Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Wild? He saw just 4:59.

When considering the Penguins' current situation - top-six forward Bryan Rust is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and Puljujarvi is fifth in team scoring - it doesn't make much sense to bury an offensively gifted player like Puljujarvi on the fourth line.

Yes, the Penguins are loading up their top line with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell, all in hopes of sparking some much-needed offense from a team mired in a six-game losing streak. Looking at the other three lines, everything looks about equal. It's hard to say that any of them are better than the others.

However, the ice time is telling. 

Noel Acciari - a defensive specialist for the Penguins, who are ranked dead last in the league in team defense - has registered a goal and three points on the season, and he saw 16:07 of ice time on Tuesday on the second line alongside Lars Eller and Drew O'Connor. 

O'Connor - who has four points in 11 games and owns a team-worst minus-9 on the season - played 17:37.

Michael Bunting - who began the season in the top-six alongside Malkin - has just one point on the season and got 12:48 of ice time on the third line with Cody Glass and Valtteri Puustinen. 

Puustinen - consistently a healthy scratch and having played in only three games this season - saw the ice for 11:50 on Tuesday. 

Anthony Beauvillier - who has been in and out of the top-six and owns three goals and four points on the season - played on the same line as Puljujarvi with Kevin Hayes and racked up 10:57 of ice time. 

For some inexplicable reason, these forwards - who have been minimally to no better than Puljujarvi defensively and not as productive offensively - are getting more minutes. In addition, according to NHL Edge data, Puljujarvi has been the Penguins' fastest skater this season. 

Obviously, there could be something missing here. But, on the surface, it seems fairly obvious that Puljujarvi should be seeing more ice time in an offensive role, considering the fact that he has been better than every other forward in that department aside from Crosby, Malkin, Rakell, and Eller - and that includes Rust as well. 

Bumping him up in the lineup alongside Eller for the time being seems like a logical move for a team that needs to produce offense and has, pretty much, been helpless defensively so far this season. At this juncture, the Penguins simply need to win a game. And Puljujarvi has the skill set to directly help them accomplish that.

Burying him in fourth-line minutes does nothing to help build on whatever momentum he built up in training camp and early in the season. And, simply put, it certainly does nothing to help this team win games right now.

GM and POHO Kyle Dubas signed Puljujarvi to a two-year contract last season after he made the team on a PTO. He took a chance on a player who was running out of chances at the NHL level, and Puljujarvi did everything he possibly could to have earned a roster spot out of training camp this season.

Right now, it seems that Puljujarvi's chance is being wasted. Going forward, the Penguins have an opportunity to see what he can do in an elevated role on this team.

They'd be wise to use that opportunity.