Is Puljujarvi a bust?

[Porkleaker]

Yakupov had a great rookie season so he busted later on.
Puljujarvi should not have been rushed to NHL. He is still not NHL ready but has ~140 games under his belt.
mismanaged for sure.
Giving him 9 mins a game is not doing him any good.

Yeah neither were developed properly, always been a huge issue with this team. Imagine if JP was playing in Bakersfield all season? Not only would that be fun for him but he'd get his confidence up.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

I think Iiro Pakarinen summed it up quite well in that interview he did:

Former Edmonton Oilers player Iiro Pakarinen complains of lack of communication from coaches

"According to the Reddit translation, which is in line with the other translations, Pakarinen says the following of the Oilers coaching staff: “They don’t say anything or talk to you about why you’re not playing. At least the Oilers never did. That’s what annoyed me the most… Coach never gives you a reason or reasons. You have to figure it out why you’re sitting in the pressbox by yourself. Also in general the coach and GM talked to us very little. It’s almost like they have some top secret information. I think it’s unfathomable… Communication should be more open, like it is in Europe. Here it goes like it should. In the NHL it feels like the coach is one great ego. Of course the coach will talk to the players about random things, but never about anything personal or things related to your own game."

Cant be easy for someone like Poopjerry to try and adjust when no-one tells him what he does wrong. Especially since he aint the sharpest pickle in the jar to begin with.

He's played under two or three coaches now? I don't think it's the coaches with the egos unless he's simply talking about upper management and not just someone like TMac or Hitch.

 

[SullivanT]

It just seems so simple put him in the minors how is he suppose to develop playing 3 mins a night in a checking line. NHL is not a development league thets what the AHL is for. You get blessed with a player that can go there straight out if the draft but are too stupid to out him there it's madness. This isn't on Pulju it's on the Oilers they are a bunch of idiots.

 

[McDNicks17]

I know the narrative will be the Oilers screwed him up since their development is trash, but Pulju is a player that would have busted on any NHL team.

He came over thinking he was a top-end offensive player and it quickly became obvious that he didn't have remotely close to enough hockey sense to play that way. It's been three years since he should have came to that realization and he still hasn't changed his game or improved in literally a single facet since getting to Edmonton.

He's set in the way he wants to play. He hasn't listened to coaches. He hasn't taken any advice. He just doesn't think he needs development.

 

[Phenomenon13]

He's similar to Dylan Strome. Not a bust but a guy who's development has stalled and is trending in that bust direction. Needs a change of scenary. Ferraro had a great interview on TSN about this topic and talked about how Oiler's have mishandled him.

 

[93LEAFS]

He needs to be tore up from the floor up and rebuilt from scratch. Probably should spend at least a year in the A, re-learning the game... like the Canucks did to some degrees of success with Markstrom and Virtanen.

He has to clear waivers as of July 1st to go to the AHL.

He isn't a bust yet, but he's clearly trending that way.

 

[McDNicks17]

He's similar to Dylan Strome. Not a bust but a guy who's development has stalled and is trending in that bust direction. Needs a change of scenary. Ferraro had a great interview on TSN about this topic and talked about how Oiler's have mishandled him.

Similar situation. Vastly different players.

Strome is excelling due to his hockey sense. Pulju is floundering because of the complete lack of his.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I think the Oilers have mishandled him in the sense that he should have played at least one full season in the minors. The other problem he has that has hindered his success is that he is currently a fundamentally flawed player. he skates well, but is bad positionally, is not good at getting into good scoring areas, he has extremely bad puck handing, and although he has a great shot, he has not shown he has the ability to get into areas he can use it. He has bad decision making abilities when he has the puck, when to pass it, when to dump it into the zone, when to carry it. He is also clumsy and can look uncoordinated at times. He does not make good decisions. Now maybe these areas could improve playing in the minors in a slower game and playing against lesser talent, but those are issues you cant blame the Oilers for. It may be that like Yakupov, that he is a fundamentally flawed player as well. Now if a guy is just simply struggling to score, but skates well, shoots well, can carry the puck, is good positionally, and shows the ability to create plays and make good decisions with the puck, you have much higher hope for progression in his game.

I like Puljujarvi's tools, but he has not been very impressive in his ability to create plays or make any kind of impact when he is on the ice. He seems very lost out there, similar to Yakupov in some ways.

 

[MMANumminen]

I wouldn't count him out yet, he's 20. Nothing in Liiga suggested he will be good in NHL but he was one of the best player in the world in his age class and above in juniors. I'd like to see him somewhere else than Edmonton

 

[super6646]

Dylan strome is supposed to be a bust

Same for Lindholm

Lindholm put up 40 pts in his d+3 season playing with grinders. He wasn't given an opportunity to play in an offensive role and still put up 2nd line production in carolina.

Strome was amazing in juniors and had solid AHL production. Arizona wasted him on the fourth line, but there were signs of progress in his game.

Puljujarvi has shown none of that. He can definitely turn it around, but the circumstances aren't quite the same.

 

[brighteststars]

Nope he's generational

 

[Garbage Goal]

It’s hard to label him a complete bust until we see him outside of Edmonton.

 

[gwh]

Yak is 6th in KHL goal scoring right now.

 

[FinnishSniper]

If he produces like this in another team, getting 14+ minutes of icetime and PP time, I’d call him a bust. Dylan strome and Lindholm are great examples...

I’d say if he hits around 30-40 points next year, he will be on a path to be a good top-6 winger.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

Yak is 6th in KHL goal scoring right now.

The KHL sucks

 

[gwh]

The KHL sucks

Much less than AHL.

 

[nuclear reactor]

Yak is 6th in KHL goal scoring right now.

also 6th on his team in points.

 

[DFF]

He is not a bust yet. Many players in his draft class have not made the NHL yet

That said, he is heading there soon if nothing changes...

 

[DFF]

If he produces like this in another team, getting 14+ minutes of icetime and PP time, I’d call him a bust. Dylan strome and Lindholm are great examples...

I’d say if he hits around 30-40 points next year, he will be on a path to be a good top-6 winger.

Lindholm got 40 pts on his second year and basically maintained that till this year, so not sure how it's a comparable

 

[Lacaar]

You can't developer/teach stupid out of players.
This guy just doesn't get it.. he's Yakupov all over again. He's so dumb when it comes to hockey he doesn't even realize it.

I swear i say the same things watching him play as I did watching Nail.... wtf is he doing there.. why is he running into his own players..e.tc.

 

[ijuka]

Dylan strome is supposed to be a bust

Same for Lindholm

Lindholm wasn't a bust with Canes.

Dylan Strome always was smart, Puljujärvi always was dumb. That's an important distinction.

 

[CapnZin]

Holy overreaction...

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No. Just because the 4th overall pick doesn’t come into the NHL, rather any 1rd pick, and post mind blowing numbers doesn’t mean that they’re a bust. Even in JP posts a career avg line of 15-25-40 it doesn’t mean he’s really a bust. That’s still a contribution. Just means he’s not a #4. Most players drafted will fall or rise, but it doesn’t mean they’re a bust.

Nail Yakupov is a bust. Use that next time someone says he is... or if I ever do, tell me I’m a hypocrite.

Give him 250 games before making remarks. That’s an easier time to tell. Remember, it took Sean Couturier a while to break out along with others. It has a lot to do with coaching and the teams system.

 

[behemolari]

Not actually a bad idea as Pulju has clicked with Laine before. Obviously it would be high risk high reward move from Winnipegs side.
From Edmonton's pov I could see Ehlers being a good fit with McDavid.

wrong, it was always Aho clicking both. Actually it's Aho clicking everything everywhere

 

[seafoam]

He won’t live up to his draft position, but he’ll still be an NHLer.

 

[Christien]

It's still too early to tell. As of right now though he's headed in that direction.