Edmonton Oilers Finally Trade Jesse Puljujarvi To Hurricanes

Jesse Puljujarvi's name has been in the rumour mill and he has been on the trade block for a while now as he just can't seem to find his offence despite the time he's spent on a line with the best players in the world. It is obvious he was in need of a new home as he still has lots of potential. Frank Seravalli reported that it is a matter of when and where, not if Puljujarvi gets traded. Shortly after, the Oilers announced that they have dealt Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Patrik Puistola.

Puljujarvi will join fellow Finnish players Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Antti Raanta in a place where he can build his confidence back up, and thrive.

Puljujarvi has a cap hit of $3 million this season and is a restricted free agent after this year. The 24-year-old has produced five goals and 14 points in 58 games this season, split between the top-six and the fourth line of the Oilers. He has been given multiple chances in his time in Edmonton's organization and it was time to part ways.

There was a possibility of sending him through waivers so that the team he was traded to could freely send him up and down, but that didn't come to fruition. Oilers' fans would have loved to see the Oilers get similar value for Puljujarvi as the Nashville Predators got for Tanner Jeannot at one point, but that wasn't the case. Seeing as Puljujarvi and Tanner Jeannot have similar numbers this season, the only thing really separating them in value is the cap hit. Puljujarvi is a great defensive forward best suited for the bottom-six, but he isn't a top-six player, at least not right now.

The Oilers salvage what they can and bring in former third round in 2019, Patrik Puistola. He is currently playing in SM-Liiga in his fifth season and has amassed 15 goals and 38 points in 56 games. The 22-year-old has potential and the Oilers are hoping he can continue growing into a solid NHL player.