Player Discussion Jesse Puljujarvi '18-19 Season Part 5, Jesse Bumped Up the Line-up

[Drivesaitl]

His first year he looked absolutely horrible defensively. I think he’s taking some time to get used to the game speed. The last game I watched Puljujarvi looked like the guy I watched in junior. Splitting the d, dishing nice backhand floating passes, and driving the net. He needs to learn to play that game consistently. If he does we’ll have a hell of a player.

Nah, at best now he would be a hardworking physical player with next to no hands that lands 30 or more pts depending on where, and how much he's playing in the lineup. He hasn't shown he has mitts in the whole time here. Half of the paltry pts he has seem almost incidental, results of some chaos play around the net. Without ability around the net he doesn't rise above being a support player.

"Hell of a player" He's worse than the current version of Lucic.

 

[frag2]

Yams certainly is heading that way. Has put up very bad Numbers in the AHL this year, and looked terrible in the NHL.

pully has shown enough at times for me to feel he can be a player. Not so with Yamamoto who has shown zero and seems to be a far worse prospect than other small/tiny players some drafted much later.

Yamamoto was always gonna be a project given he's a low 1st rounder.
JP is a top 4 and he doesn't even know how to handle the puck. Expectations were always gonna be high for a top5 pick and he's shown nothing aside from dominating scrubs during preseason.

 

[frag2]

JP has no hockey sense. Always skating into him teammates. Brutal.

Theres a reason Drai and McDavid were reported to be frustrated playing with him last summer since he always got in their way.

 

[CycloneSweep]

What is Pulju doing well?

Legit question.

 

[GodPucker]

What is Pulju doing well?

Legit question.

This is what I would like to know from people who see him improving.

Are they watching the same guy?

I cannot point to one thing he is improving at.

The first thing I wish he improved upon is his balance and skating. Look how easy it is to win board battles from him. SOMETIMES he randomly holds onto the puck and looks ok. It's rare.

He reminds me of MPS 99%. Soft heading into the corners. ALWAYS comes in along the boards and throws a muffin into the crest.

Yesterday he comes in through Center, crosses the blueline, and just flubs a puck into the goalies crest and he was the first Oiler into the zone..

Like, what are you doing man?

 

[Jamin]

This is what I would like to know from people who see him improving.

Are they watching the same guy?

I cannot point to one thing he is improving at.

The first thing I wish he improved upon is his balance and skating. Look how easy it is to win board battles from him. SOMETIMES he randomly holds onto the puck and looks ok. It's rare.

He reminds me of MPS 99%. Soft heading into the corners. ALWAYS comes in along the boards and throws a muffin into the crest.

Yesterday he comes in through Center, crosses the blueline, and just flubs a puck into the goalies crest and he was the first Oiler into the zone..

Like, what are you doing man?

I wont pretend he is playing well but to the bolded isnt that what 2 coaches in a row have taught him?

If he makes a mistake he plays 8 min a game. Flubbing a puck into the goalie gets an offensive zone faceoff vs if he tries something maybe its turned over and he doesnt play till the next period.

 

[DerpMorg]

We need to at least parlay him into a second round pick or something this summer. Jesus, he’s horrible.

 

[McBigYak]

What is Pulju doing well?

Legit question.

Besides projecting to be one of the worst top 4 picks in the last 20 years, probably not much.

I mean, I don't watch much anymore this season, but from what I have saw when I watch, he's pretty atrocious.

 

[NextYear67]

TIFWIW:

My buddy that works for the Oilers says they've all but given up on him and don't expect him there by the start of next season. "He's Bambi on ice." They will take whatever they can get for him.

 

[Little Fury]

TIFWIW:

My buddy that works for the Oilers says they've all but given up on him and don't expect him there by the start of next season. "He's Bambi on ice." They will take whatever they can get for him.

Stupid org does stupid stuff.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Theres a reason Drai and McDavid were reported to be frustrated playing with him last summer since he always got in their way.

He cant get out of his own way never mind theirs. His hockey IQ at the NHL level is near 0. He may have developed that in the AHL but as was said stupid org does stupid stuff and next season he cant be sent to the minors or he can be claimed. Oilers have yet again ruined another prospect by forcing him into the lineup light years before he was ready.

The new GM better get the organizational head out of the organizational ass or this will continue next year with Bouchard, Yamamoto, and a host of others.

 

[McBigYak]

He cant get out of his own way never mind theirs. His hockey IQ at the NHL level is near 0. He may have developed that in the AHL but as was said stupid org does stupid stuff and next season he cant be sent to the minors or he can be claimed. Oilers have yet again ruined another prospect by forcing him into the lineup light years before he was ready.

The new GM better get the organizational head out of the organizational ass or this will continue next year with Bouchard, Yamamoto, and a host of others.

I'm not sure there was any saving him. I mean I fully agree with the fact the organization is full of pure stupidity, and he should have been down in the minors, but I just can't see how he is going to learn this stuff even at an AHL level. I mean the AHL is the second best league in North America, the guys who play in that league are not chumps by any stretch of the imagination. Over a large sample size, he'd probably struggle like hell down there too.

 

[aspin3]

I'm not sure there was any saving him. I mean I fully agree with the fact the organization is full of pure stupidity, and he should have been down in the minors, but I just can't see how he is going to learn this stuff even at an AHL level. I mean the AHL is the second best league in North America, the guys who play in that league are not chumps by any stretch of the imagination. Over a large sample size, he'd probably struggle like hell down there too.

I think you know that is not true. It took him no time to adapt in the 4 games he played there thus year.

 

[McBigYak]

I think you know that is not true. It took him no time to adapt in the 4 games he played there thus year.

From what I have seen from him up here, I definitely believe it to be true. 50 some games in the AHL isn't enough to make me think otherwise. And regardless, even if it wasn't true and he was able to get by with absolutely no hockey sense in the AHL, all that will amount to is points in the AHL and nothing more. There have been a TON of guys who can light up the American League but can't do jack in the NHL.

Think it's time to stick a fork in him, because he's done. At best we have a third line forward who can pitch in 30-40 points a year. He makes probably one marginal play a game, and for the rest of it he is effectively useless. By the end of the season he will have 160 games under his belt. That is a pretty good sample size to determine what kind of player you have. And in Jesse's case, the Oilers don't have much of one.

 

[oilcountry17]

I just keep hoping they will send him down, then play him with constant line mates for 18 mins a night the rest of the way. We currently get more from Rattie Manning Russel etc then Pulj so why keep him up. The latter are more finished players then Pulj, maybe with some kid gloves we could maybe still grow our top 5 drafted 20 year old player.

Bu this org proves Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[harpoon]

imo Puljujarvi plays like a puck carrier that almost never has the puck. I always see him curling in the neutral zone, stick out, watching the defenseman, looking for a pass that never comes. He looks confused as to why the defensemen don’t/can’t make passes. Then it seems like he loses the idea of what to do next. The moments I do see him looking confident are the infrequent moments he has the puck on his stick.

I don’t think he’s a ‘zero iq’ player at all. I see a lot of deference in JP’s game. He knows he’s struggling, doesn’t have the coach’s trust, and that makes him defer even more. It goes without saying that he should be playing in the AHL. Let him learn to carry the puck again and have some confidence in the skills that got him here.

 

[nabob]

Yamamoto was always gonna be a project given he's a low 1st rounder.
JP is a top 4 and he doesn't even know how to handle the puck. Expectations were always gonna be high for a top5 pick and he's shown nothing aside from dominating scrubs during preseason.

Any player who is 6’5” and built like a baby caribou on skates is going to be a project, especially if he has been playing shinny in Finland his whole life and has no concept of what playing in the NHL will be like . Smaller skilled players, especially ones from NA usually are able to jump into the NHL and have success quickly or else they end up being career fringe players.

 

[nabob]

I think you know that is not true. It took him no time to adapt in the 4 games he played there thus year.

I wouldn’t bother trying to explain that.

 

[Daryls Friend]

This is what I would like to know from people who see him improving.

Are they watching the same guy?

I cannot point to one thing he is improving at.

The first thing I wish he improved upon is his balance and skating. Look how easy it is to win board battles from him. SOMETIMES he randomly holds onto the puck and looks ok. It's rare.

He reminds me of MPS 99%. Soft heading into the corners. ALWAYS comes in along the boards and throws a muffin into the crest.

Yesterday he comes in through Center, crosses the blueline, and just flubs a puck into the goalies crest and he was the first Oiler into the zone..

Like, what are you doing man?

To me he looks a little more assertive on the ice. So thats not a bad thing.
I have yet to see a scintilla of offensive capabilities. None.

 

[Daryls Friend]

Stupid org does stupid stuff.

Stupid player does stupid stuff.

 

[Daryls Friend]

I just keep hoping they will send him down, then play him with constant line mates for 18 mins a night the rest of the way. We currently get more from Rattie Manning Russel etc then Pulj so why keep him up. The latter are more finished players then Pulj, maybe with some kid gloves we could maybe still grow our top 5 drafted 20 year old player.

Bu this org proves Stupid is as stupid does.

Hes refusing to go down. So thats kinda tough.

 

[Panda Bear]

imo Puljujarvi plays like a puck carrier that almost never has the puck. I always see him curling in the neutral zone, stick out, watching the defenseman, looking for a pass that never comes. He looks confused as to why the defensemen don’t/can’t make passes. Then it seems like he loses the idea of what to do next. The moments I do see him looking confident are the infrequent moments he has the puck on his stick.

I don’t think he’s a ‘zero iq’ player at all. I see a lot of deference in JP’s game. He knows he’s struggling, doesn’t have the coach’s trust, and that makes him defer even more. It goes without saying that he should be playing in the AHL. Let him learn to carry the puck again and have some confidence in the skills that got him here.

This is a great post.

His natural game is to lug the puck into the zone from deep and dish it off, buzz around doing everything, and then forechecking like mad after if there's a turnover. He's a do it all player, and our handling added a "don't" in there.

Unfortunately, we appear to have broken the kid and don't know how to repair him.

I really, really hope that Puljujarvi lands in another organization where he can find his game and be lauded as a top four pick. In return, I hope we get someone who does just as well for us as I hope Puljujarvi does for another organization.

 

[oilcountry17]

Hes refusing to go down. So thats kinda tough.

i have not heard this in the media anywhere source?

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Hes refusing to go down. So thats kinda tough.

Puljujarvi doesn't have a f***ing choice if they send him down, how is he refusing to go down?

 

[La Bamba]

This is a great post.

His natural game is to lug the puck into the zone from deep and dish it off, buzz around doing everything, and then forechecking like mad after if there's a turnover. He's a do it all player, and our handling added a "don't" in there.

Unfortunately, we appear to have broken the kid and don't know how to repair him.

I really, really hope that Puljujarvi lands in another organization where he can find his game and be lauded as a top four pick. In return, I hope we get someone who does just as well for us as I hope Puljujarvi does for another organization.

Honestly, Pulju is just bad. Not the Oilers' fault. If you're drafted 4th overall (and 95% of people had him 3rd overall), you should be able to exceed. He was given good opportunities but just sucked.

For some players, I agree management can ruin players like Sam Gagner, Paajarvi, but Pulju was handled fine IMO, he just doesn't have the brain to play in the NHL or even AHL.