Jesse Puljujarvi Is Perfect Fit for Penguins
It's just a tryout right now, but Jesse Puljujarvi could be a huge boost for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to struggle, new president and general manager Kyle Dubas made an early-season search for reinforcements.
On the other end of Dubas’ hunt came free agent forward Jesse Puljularvi who joins the Penguins on what is essentially a professional tryout.
Puljujarvi can take part in all team activities but cannot lace up for a game with the team, unless he signs an official contract.
Over the next few days and possible couple of weeks, the Penguins will work to get Puljujarvi up to speed and possibly insert him into the lineup.
Puljujarvi is coming off of a double hip surgery and is likely still working through his rehab process but could be a perfect fit for the Penguins.
Over the course of his six-year NHL career, Puljujarvi molded well into a complete player who can bring both offense and defense.
With a struggling bottom six, that seems like a perfect spot for him to fit in the Penguins lineup.
“I’m not looking at him to come in and provide massive offense,” Dubas said. “He’s shown that he can play up with top players… For me it’s his forechecking ability. Get to the net, disrupt the defense of the other team.”
Puljujarvi was drafted fourth overall in 2016 by the Edmonton Oilers and was expected to perform much like their top talents do, which is coring in bunches.
That offense never really came for Puljujarvi, but he proved he could play alongside the likes of Connor McDavid, just in a different role.
Where Puljujarvi’s game really took off was in a bottom six, more two-way role, which is exactly what Dubas and the Penguins want to see from him.
“When he was at his best, I felt particularly in Edmonton, if you go back to 2020 and 2021 that’s what he was doing,” Dubas said. “Physical forecheck, uses pace and reach to get up the ice, break up their breakout, and get to the net.”
Dubas believes some offense will come from that tenacity and even if it’s just in spurts, it’ll still be more than what the Penguins have seen recently.
Head coach Mike Sullivan is still learning exactly what kind of game Puljujarvi plays, but he’s his thoughts have aligned pretty well with Dubas.
That focus on size and range could be beneficial for the Penguins if he works his way into a full contract.
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