Jesse Puljujarvi Part 8 | Signs 2-Year Pact with Oilers ($1.175M per); Loaned to Karpat

[Drivesaitl]

Its got nothing to do with Drai. All you are doing here is calling for Drai bashing due to your homer views.
It is fine to have one timer options on both sides.
Also shooting percentage is generally higher for players who get more PP time. 10 shots take on PP are generally of higher quality than ES. Really a weak argument.

Wait, players that shoot the puck well have good shooting % with or w/o PP.

maybe with some PP time Pulju could nudge it back to 8.5. Still spectacularly lousy for a player touted to be 3rd best in world in draft year. Sheer illusion of playing with Laine and Aho.

Pulju can barely take a pass and for sure wasn't making much of any at this level. Lets put somebody with next to no offense on the PP. just for laughs really.

 

[KMart27]

Agreed. Everyone's biggest criticism about Eberle before we shipped him off was that he only put up points against the shitty teams. Well, once we traded him off we had nobody else to put up points against the shitty teams outside of the same few people we relied on in all other situations.

Eberle scored against NHL teams. Even if they were bad, they were still NHL teams. We are talking about Puljujarvi scoring against ECHL calibre teams in preseason games.

 

[Draiskull]

Wait, players that shoot the puck well have good shooting % with or w/o PP.

maybe with some PP time Pulju could nudge it back to 8.5. Still spectacularly lousy for a player touted to be 3rd best in world in draft year. Sheer illusion of playing with Laine and Aho.

Pulju can barely take a pass and for sure wasn't making much of any at this level. Lets put somebody with next to no offense on the PP. just for laughs really.

Gaudreau and Teravainen must be shitty players by your logic.
Killorn and Hyman must be up for rocket Richard.

Puljujarvi is still figuring things out. We just didn't have time to give him some rope.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Gaudreau and Teravainen must be shitty players by your logic.
Killorn and Hyman must be up for rocket Richard.

Puljujarvi is still figuring things out. We just didn't have time to give him some rope.

Pulju figuring things out;

Close up;

Again I'm clowning around with this. Feel like I have to say it.

But then Pulju interviews always looked like Terry Gilliam animations to me. My fault for growing up with Monty Python.

 

[Draiskull]

Imagine nobody passign to a guy misfiring, toeing shots, getting nothing on the puck, and with an NHL career shooting 7%. Kind of hard to imagine that even being on an NHL PP, let alone thats where he should be slotted.

Sorry Drai, screw off with your 50 goal season. We gotta work Pulju side one timers.

yeah, sounds reasonable.

Funny where this is coming from considering Draisaitl does all of the bolded and then some more. dumb passes, lazy coverage, unforced fumbles.

Since shooting % stat has been mentioned multiple times here let me post another fun stat:

139GP - 79 give aways (0.56 give aways per game)
305GP - 211 give aways (0.69 give aways per game)
153GP - 207 give aways (1.35 give aways per game)​

 

[Draiskull]

Pulju figuring things out;
Close up;
Again I'm clowning around with this. Feel like I have to say it.
But then Pulju interviews always looked like Terry Gilliam animations to me. My fault for growing up with Monty Python.

clowning is fine as long as its not derailing. You are convincing no one that Puljujarvi is the scum of the earth.
Me bashing Mr. huff n puff doesn't really accomplish anything either. Just taking out frustration.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I think it's a wee bit over the top to be dissecting a pre-season clip shared that we would not otherwise see. Puljijarvi looked to be in strong position, executed a decent one-time that found the back of the net. His mechanics looked pretty solid. Really no need to comment or micro critique the quality of clip for an exhibition game and the goal itself. Just a 'real time' snapshot into the current player whose trying to restart an NHL career. Cap tip to our Finnish connection for the share!

 

[Whyme]

While I'm not defending any shooting % this game isn't about winning shooting percentages. I mean generally speaking players have different styles, some pass the puck rather than shoot, while others (usually ones with a good shot) shoot as often as possible. If the shot is hard but not accurate enough that may turn into rebound goals. And yes the PP time affects a lot.

As for Pulju the main problem was he couldn't get well enough into good shooting positions. That was largely because of him lacking the skill to do that and adjusting to the small rink, but also affected by who he was playing with and the lack/low PP time. His shooting accuracy wasn't as good as I hoped, but he did hit the posts a lot, especially during the first season when he was incredibly unlucky with that.

He's clearly practised getting to free positions and shooting in Finland, but how that goes at the NHL level remains to be seen. I agree it's a whole other world, but no matter what kind of a goal he scores in Finland someone can (and probably will) always say that it wouldn't have gone in in the NHL. Which is not always true and anyway all Pulju can do in Finland is score goals against those particular players.

As for shooting percentages apart from his first, short season he wasn't even that bad compared to the others. It was a time when just a few players scored goals for the Oilers.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Pulju figuring things out;

Close up;

Again I'm clowning around with this. Feel like I have to say it.

But then Pulju interviews always looked like Terry Gilliam animations to me. My fault for growing up with Monty Python.

Monty Python was a little ahead of my time but luckily my parents introduced me.

The whole covid thing always reminds me of the scene in holy grail “bring out ya dead” lol

 

[Artorius Horus T]

So basically 4 preseason games so far, 15 points....

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Is it wrong to be getting excited about him again?

 

[jukon]

Is it wrong to be getting excited about him again?

No, we don't have much hope for the wings. Pretty much Jesse comes back and plays well and AA regains his 30 goal form or else McDavid can look forward to Neal and Kassian on his wing.

 

[McShogun99]

No, we don't have much hope for the wings. Pretty much Jesse comes back and plays well and AA regains his 30 goal form or else McDavid can look forward to Neal and Kassian on his wing.

AA doesn’t even need to be a 30 goal player, just a 20-25 goal player. If the scenario happens that JP becomes a legit NHL player and AA finds some chemistry on the team then all of a sudden our wings look pretty good.

 

[Mr Positive]

AA doesn’t even need to be a 30 goal player, just a 20-25 goal player. If the scenario happens that JP becomes a legit NHL player and AA finds some chemistry on the team then all of a sudden our wings look pretty good.

I could see a redemption line here. AA and JP. Hey, if AA can play center again it could be a line like Neal-AA-JP haha

But yes, I am totally in favor of JP coming back. I mean.... just because we get him back doesn't guarantee that he gets minutes. I'm still skeptical about him. I don't see the harm in having him return

 

[Oilhawks]

Funny where this is coming from considering Draisaitl does all of the bolded and then some more. dumb passes, lazy coverage, unforced fumbles.

Since shooting % stat has been mentioned multiple times here let me post another fun stat:

139GP - 79 give aways (0.56 give aways per game)
305GP - 211 give aways (0.69 give aways per game)
153GP - 207 give aways (1.35 give aways per game)​

Yeah except you could say that for literally any player. What matters is the rate of success when compared to failures. You’re comparing a guy that nearly won the Richard last year, won the Art Ross this year and is likely winning the Hart to a guy that hasn’t even broken into the league and may never be more than a middle 6 winger (and I’m rooting for Pulju and would like to see him do well here).

Maybe I have you confused with someone else but your name is quite ironic since you seem to denigrate and belittle your namesake often. I mean I understand expecting Drai to be perfect but even though he’s not always consistent it’s rare that he’s not one of the best players on the ice (and often he is the best player on the ice).

 

[McDNicks17]

 

[VLU5]

Before anyone rushes here to ask what the hell was the D doing, JP made that rush after a long shift and everyone (including him) must have been gassed. Nice to see him score on a breakaway. He didn't do very well with those last year.

 

[Legend123]

Before anyone rushes here to ask what the hell was the D doing, JP made that rush after a long shift and everyone (including him) must have been gassed. Nice to see him score on a breakaway. He didn't do very well with those last year.

Seriously what the hell was that d doing??

 

[Fourier]

While I'm not defending any shooting % this game isn't about winning shooting percentages. I mean generally speaking players have different styles, some pass the puck rather than shoot, while others (usually ones with a good shot) shoot as often as possible. If the shot is hard but not accurate enough that may turn into rebound goals. And yes the PP time affects a lot.

As for Pulju the main problem was he couldn't get well enough into good shooting positions. That was largely because of him lacking the skill to do that and adjusting to the small rink, but also affected by who he was playing with and the lack/low PP time. His shooting accuracy wasn't as good as I hoped, but he did hit the posts a lot, especially during the first season when he was incredibly unlucky with that.

He's clearly practised getting to free positions and shooting in Finland, but how that goes at the NHL level remains to be seen. I agree it's a whole other world, but no matter what kind of a goal he scores in Finland someone can (and probably will) always say that it wouldn't have gone in in the NHL. Which is not always true and anyway all Pulju can do in Finland is score goals against those particular players.

As for shooting percentages apart from his first, short season he wasn't even that bad compared to the others. It was a time when just a few players scored goals for the Oilers.

The reality is that most goals scored in the NHL would not have gone in in the NHL. This might sound like strange statement but what I mean is that if you were to repeat the same play over and over there is a very good chance that a mistake that was made leading to the goal would not have happened most of the time. That's why I think this is an important post.

If he can dominate in a league like SM-Liga it shows that at the very least he has skill. The ability to put ones self in a position to benefit from happenstance is a huge part of success at the NHL level and is a big reason why Puljujarvi struggled at times. If he has improved in that regard then it is significant in terms of giving him a chance to succeed in the NHL. Will it translate? Who knows.

Strange stat...As far as accuracy is concerned over the time he played for the team he was 6th amongst Oiler forwards in posts/crossbar hit with 7 in 139 games. McDavid led the team by a mile with 29, Draisaitl second with 19, Nuge third with 13, Lucic had 9 (all but one of which of which came in his first two years where he was playing on the top lines and getting lots of pp time) and Eberle with 8. But if you look at posts/crossbars hit as a percentage of missed shots Puljujarvi was second to Eberle. And if you factor in time played he would be third behind Eberle and McDavid. Not that it means much, but I found it interesting.

 

[Whyme]

The reality is that most goals scored in the NHL would not have gone in in the NHL. This might sound like strange statement but what I mean is that if you were to repeat the same play over and over there is a very good chance that a mistake that was made leading to the goal would not have happened most of the time. That's why I think this is an important post.

If he can dominate in a league like SM-Liga it shows that at the very least he has skill. The ability to put ones self in a position to benefit from happenstance is a huge part of success at the NHL level and is a big reason why Puljujarvi struggled at times. If he has improved in that regard then it is significant in terms of giving him a chance to succeed in the NHL. Will it translate? Who knows.

Strange stat...As far as accuracy is concerned over the time he played for the team he was 6th amongst Oiler forwards in posts/crossbar hit with 7 in 139 games. McDavid led the team by a mile with 29, Draisaitl second with 19, Nuge third with 13, Lucic had 9 (all but one of which of which came in his first two years where he was playing on the top lines and getting lots of pp time) and Eberle with 8. But if you look at posts/crossbars hit as a percentage of missed shots Puljujarvi was second to Eberle. And if you factor in time played he would be third behind Eberle and McDavid. Not that it means much, but I found it interesting.

Interesting, thank you for sharing these stats! I like your first sentence, it's funny but true. While as a league NHL is on its own it doesn't mean that players are mistake free. Actually the tough level and constant pressure make even good players to make mistakes so one sees ungly looking goals quite often.

There's players that dominate in Finland but never succeed in the NHL, but the way Pulju does his domination makes me optimistic about his chances in the NHL. I honestly still think there's a potential star player there. I could be wrong, but he was so dominating at the junior levels and he's been such a strange case in the NHL. There's been many things hurting his development/results, both due to himself and the team/coach, but the toolset combined with his dedication to training makes me feel the next NHL visit is going to be much better. Especially now that Jesse is older and more mature and there's better guys as the GM and the coach. If Pulju can show he comes back as a better player that'll help with thow he's welcomed by the other players.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Before anyone rushes here to ask what the hell was the D doing, JP made that rush after a long shift and everyone (including him) must have been gassed. Nice to see him score on a breakaway. He didn't do very well with those last year.

Horrendous defence, but its still encouraging to see him keep the puck and reassess the situation vs. taking the chased-by-bees approach, and getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Plus that's the first time in years where his skating stride didn't look like Bambi on ice. Likewise, his puck control was far cleaner. Even in last year's highlights videos, those elements still looked shotty AF.

Although I do dislike drawing conclusions from a few 10 second highlight videos, the one thing that's stands out is his cuts and edge work look far stronger and more controlled, and thus all his movements look more controlled.

My one takeaway from the one-timer video was he was actually consistently moving and re-adjusting to where the passing line was. Perviously he was just standing around or gingerly floating into spots waiting for others to do the work in getting the puck to him.

He is a year removed from the hip surgery though, so it's shouldn't be a massive surprise that those elements/explosive movments are starting to return to his game again.


Let's see if he can keep it up vs. better competition.

 

[Whyme]

Horrendous defence, but its still encouraging to see him keep the puck and reassess the situation vs. taking the chased-by-bees approach, and getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Plus that's the first time in years where his skating stride didn't look like Bambi on ice. Likewise, his puck control was far cleaner. Even in last year's highlights videos, those elements still looked shotty AF.

Although I do dislike drawing conclusions from a few 10 second highlight videos, the one thing that's stands out is his cuts and edge work look far stronger and more controlled, and thus all his movements look more controlled.

My one takeaway from the one-timer video was he was actually consistently moving and re-adjusting to where the passing line was. Perviously he was just standing around or gingerly floating into spots waiting for others to do the work in getting the puck to him.

He is a year removed from the hip surgery though, so it's shouldn't be a massive surprise that those elements/explosive movments are starting to return to his game again.


Let's see if he can keep it up vs. better competition.

I have to write to give credit to your post. While you're right it's hard to draw big conclusions from short highlights, but I think the ones you did are spot on. I again mention the national team tournaments as I think that was the best way to compare where his game was going last season. In the first one he was pretty average, not bad but just another guy on the ice. But in the later one he moved constantly to get available for passes and to stir the defence, his feet looked lighter and he was much more physical and engaged. I hope he'll continue from there if and when (as I believe) he'll join the Oilers.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I have to write to give credit to your post. While you're right it's hard to draw big conclusions from short highlights, but I think the ones you did are spot on. I again mention the national team tournaments as I think that was the best way to compare where his game was going last season. In the first one he was pretty average, not bad but just another guy on the ice. But in the later one he moved constantly to get available for passes and to stir the defence, his feet looked lighter and he was much more physical and engaged. I hope he'll continue from there if and when (as I believe) he'll join the Oilers.

Honestly I'm curious to know how bad his hips got. Considering he had surgery on both sides, that is some indication.

In his last season here he was moving like a geriatric (or similar to Lucic). He kept a wide base with his feet, but his posture was super ridge/stiff and way too upright. Zero explosiveness or strength, and no quick movements; Again, like Bambi on ice.

You contrast that to his skating and movements at the World Juniors, and it was night and day.

 

[Draiskull]

Yeah except you could say that for literally any player. What matters is the rate of success when compared to failures. You’re comparing a guy that nearly won the Richard last year, won the Art Ross this year and is likely winning the Hart to a guy that hasn’t even broken into the league and may never be more than a middle 6 winger (and I’m rooting for Pulju and would like to see him do well here).

Maybe I have you confused with someone else but your name is quite ironic since you seem to denigrate and belittle your namesake often. I mean I understand expecting Drai to be perfect but even though he’s not always consistent it’s rare that he’s not one of the best players on the ice (and often he is the best player on the ice).

Oh don't you mind me. I was just clowning around.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Interesting, thank you for sharing these stats! I like your first sentence, it's funny but true. While as a league NHL is on its own it doesn't mean that players are mistake free. Actually the tough level and constant pressure make even good players to make mistakes so one sees ungly looking goals quite often.

There's players that dominate in Finland but never succeed in the NHL, but the way Pulju does his domination makes me optimistic about his chances in the NHL. I honestly still think there's a potential star player there. I could be wrong, but he was so dominating at the junior levels and he's been such a strange case in the NHL. There's been many things hurting his development/results, both due to himself and the team/coach, but the toolset combined with his dedication to training makes me feel the next NHL visit is going to be much better. Especially now that Jesse is older and more mature and there's better guys as the GM and the coach. If Pulju can show he comes back as a better player that'll help with thow he's welcomed by the other players.

Good post and @Fourier 's as well. Puck luck is a thang. I found the goal post stat and comparison interesting.

Pujujarvi is a volume shooter. Essentially what the Oilers have been missing on a team of pass first players. James Neal provided some of that last year and who knows could be a good pro's pro who could help mentor Pully on finding open space, work in greasy areas, and some shooter tutor tips as well.

The breakaway highlight might have shown suspect defense but more interesting it showed a determined effort, creativity, speed and finishing ability of Jessi. Confidence too is a thang. That showed in spades as well.

We all choose and select how we interpret these short highlights. Some see with optimism and others pessimism based on the NHL body of work. Will be interesting to see what ultimately happens but really nice to see a young guy enjoy playing again.