The Penguins could use the former fourth overall pick in a re-tooled bottom six
If there is one part of the game the Pittsburgh Penguins have long been able to boast about, it’s the productive output of their depth pieces.
As a whole, the Penguins depth was pretty solid during the 2021-22 season, but going forward there are glaring faults that need to be fixed.
Skaters like Danton Heinen and Brock McGinn had respectable enough numbers, but Kasperi Kapanen and the second half of Evan Rodrigues were massive letdowns.
Some changes may need to be made with the Penguins bottom six and Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi should be a part of that transition.
The Oilers seem to be at the end of the road with the former fourth overall pick, and have all but said they want him out of Edmonton.
Since being drafted by Edmonton in 2016, the relationship between Puljujarvi and the Oilers has been questionable.
There was a lot of speculation around a double hip surgery in 2019 and Puljujarvi possibly being on the trade block then, but now things seem a little more certain.
The decisions around the hip surgery led to a tanking of his potential in the NHL; he could have been a high production winger alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Now, Puljujarvi is better utilized as a big-bodied, bottom six forward.
When asked about the 24-year-old winger, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said the team has to “sort out” Puljujarvi.
Why not sort him to Pittsburgh? A team that has some leaks to plug in their depth.
At 6-foot-4, Puljujarvi has appeared in 259 career NHL games and is just shy of hitting 100 career points; 46 goals and 52 assists for 98 points.
2021-22 was the final year of his contract and he made the most of it by having a career high 36 points (14-22).
Puljujarvi’s contract only netted him $1.175 million for two years, but won’t be going directly to the open market as he is still a restricted free agent.
The Oilers hold his rights, but given Holland’s comments, they don’t want Puljujarvi around.
Even if the Penguins have to trade for him, why not take a flier on the 24-year-old who could use a change of scenery?
Puljujarvi with 36 points in 65 games sounds much better than Kasperi Kananen’s 32 points in 79 games at almost three times the price.
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