I hope I don't get a bad reaction with this, but here's a fresh article about the Oilers/Pulju:
Jesse Puljujarvi is the Star the Edmonton Oilers Forgot
It doesn't free Pulju from resposibility, but it mentions some points to show it maybe wasn't as black and white some make it seem. Here's some picked quotes:
- In fact, Puljujarvi’s on-ice performance made his theatrics plenty justified. But, thanks to his complete lack of respectable ice time, his point-totals never reflected that. Still, Puljujarvi was an offensive terror.
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- The same can be said about the 46 games he played in 2018-19. Despite not even averaging 12 minutes of ice time a game, Puljujarvi faced the seventh-hardest deployment of any Edmonton forwards, by PuckIQ’s numbers. Needless to say, when Puljujarvi did get to play, he was up a creek without a paddle. The Oilers used him more like a fourth-line grinder — more like Kassian — than a great goal-scoring, star prospect.
- The only year that Puljujarvi received both respectable deployment and ice time was 2017-18; coincidentally the year he played most. Finally in a role that he was clearly more comfortable in, Puljujarvi thrived. He set a 2.79 xGF/60 (expected-goals-for per-60), ranking him 41st among all NHL forwards who played in at least 700 minutes of ice time.
- Even more impressive was Puljujarvi’s ixG/60 (isolated-expected-goals per-60). Strictly looking at the contributions made by his shots, Puljujarvi recorded a 0.88 ixG/60, second on the Oilers and 34th among all NHL forwards. That’s a terrific stat and speaks very highly to what Puljujarvi does best: shoot.
- Jesse Puljujarvi was drafted as a dangerous goal-scorer and an elite shooter. His ixG/60 ranking in the league’s 89th percentile proves that, even in the NHL, he did exactly that. He was an elite scoring threat that didn’t get his chance to shine.
- But what adds to this — as if it needed any more weight behind it — is the fact that Puljujarvi only recorded 48.12 minutes of power-play ice time during the 2017-18 season. That’s a negligible amount per many sites and was less than
Milan Lucic,
Mike Cammalleri, and
Drake Caggiula totaled, to name a few. This is a disappointing trio to say the least, yet they all played significantly more on the power-play than Edmonton’s second-best shooter, per ixG. Had Puljujarvi received respectable power-play minutes, like any elite offensive ability should, he would’ve undoubtedly seen a serious increase in his point totals.
- This is all to say that Jesse Puljujarvi is a truly special offensive talent. When used correctly, he has the potential to be a true terror in the offensive end.
- Of course, there are plenty of other teams that could use the young, high-end potential that Puljujarvi showcases. Past rumours have made it clear that Edmonton’s asking price for the winger is very high. With the new GM in place and Puljujarvi’s theatrics in Finland, that price has surely only increased. But it’s a price that teams may want to look into. While Puljujarvi does have some worries defensively and his fate in the NHL has yet to be emphatically proven, he could be worth the risk. He’s established himself as an elite shooter throughout his career and proven his offensive potency in Finland.
- It’s risky trading for Puljujarvi but the payoff could be exponential. And if he’s not dealt, the Finnish winger could do a
lot of damage alongside
Connor McDavid or
Leon Draisaitl. Either way, Puljujarvi’s future in the NHL is bright, even if it’s not guaranteed. He’s an elite offensive talent whose off-ice theatrics clouded many’s perception of him. But in an appropriate NHL role, his numbers argue that he’s a top-end goal scoring talent.