Player Discussion Jesse Puljujarvi Part XII | The King of the Bison Now Needs to Conquer Goalies Too!

[North Cole]

Oilers win and Pulju scores. Must be a devastating night for Bobby.

The thing about folks who hate certain players, they get easily startled after a productive game but...just wait until he doesn't score.

Kind of ridiculous how much hate this player gets. He does a lot of little things right and is pretty ineffective at other things. Fortunately the stuff he sucks at can be improved if he puts in the work. Considering we could have lost this player for a measley second which would be contributing literally nothing, I think we are okay.

 

[Kaptah2]

Interesting how some fans disappear from the board after a game where the whole team plays well.

 

[gordonhught]

Interesting how some fans disappear from the board after a game where the whole team plays well.

Hypothetical.

You have McLeod, Kane, JP, and Yamo to sign to contracts before next year.

What is your priority for signing these players assuming that the Cap is not an issue.? Just the order of priority.

Mine is Kane, Yamo, McLeod, JP

If you can only sign 3 of the above, JP is the odd man out.

 

[FlameChampion]

Interesting that now narrative seems that Jesse should not play with McDavid, earlier he was the winger for him and even all advanced stats were praising him.

So is he a top. 6 winger or third liner?

I have generally liked JP with McDavid.

But lately I have just liked Yamamoto with McDavid and Kane. Its not so much about JP, its more what Yama is doing. Likewise, I dont see Yamamoto having much of an impact on the second line, so I wouldnt mind seeing JP play more with Draisaitl to see if hes more effective on the second line than Yama is. In an ideal world, we are much more dangerous team if both lines are going.

 

[FlameChampion]

Hypothetical.

You have McLeod, Kane, JP, and Yamo to sign to contracts before next year.

What is your priority for signing these players assuming that the Cap is not an issue.? Just the order of priority.

Mine is Kane, Yamo, McLeod, JP

If you can only sign 3 of the above, JP is the odd man out.

I cant see McLeod making much. So I dont think him signing has anything to do with losing anyone. I think hes going to get a 2 year - 2-2.5mil total contract.

I dont think the question can be really be answered without knowing what the expected aav and term is for each of Kane, Yama, and JP. I think mostly everyone would like Kane back. But if his contract is too high AAV wise (and term to some degree), I'm not sure the Oilers can sign him regardless.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The thing about folks who hate certain players, they get easily startled after a productive game but...just wait until he doesn't score.

Kind of ridiculous how much hate this player gets. He does a lot of little things right and is pretty ineffective at other things. Fortunately the stuff he sucks at can be improved if he puts in the work. Considering we could have lost this player for a measley second which would be contributing literally nothing, I think we are okay.

Theres weird takes all over though. On the basis of game 1 tons of posters were saying that Pulju should be moved and that the team should definitely keep Yama. Despite Pulju having stellar goal suppression numbers and Yama being questionable in that regard this season. Both essentially have trouble scorign goals and should be scoring more. But of the two Pulju is a big player that can use his size and ultimately his size can make him be a more effective player. That Pulju even with an awkward stride moves really fast up and down ice as a big player makes him an obvious choice if its a decision between the two.

With wingers like Holloway coming up, and if somehow we are able to keep Kane I think a decision may have to be made. But overall Pulju is a more impactful player, but he also needs to figure out to finish a bit more than he has. I mean credit the goal, and its nice to see. But terrible Quick version wasn't within 4 feet of making the save and it was a 6-0 goal in a game where Quick had folded at 3-0, which Quick does, a fair amount.

Quick is good in games with a low scoreline. Soon as he allows more than 2 goals its usually bad. Quick was shaky even in the first period.

 

[Little Fury]

Hypothetical.

You have McLeod, Kane, JP, and Yamo to sign to contracts before next year.

What is your priority for signing these players assuming that the Cap is not an issue.? Just the order of priority.

Mine is Kane, Yamo, McLeod, JP

If you can only sign 3 of the above, JP is the odd man out.

If cap is not an issue, why do you have to let any of them go lol.

 

[gordonhught]

I cant see McLeod making much. So I dont think him signing has anything to do with losing anyone. I think hes going to get a 2 year - 2-2.5mil total contract.

I dont think the question can be really be answered without knowing what the expected aav and term is for each of Kane, Yama, and JP. I think mostly everyone would like Kane back. But if his contract is too high AAV wise (and term to some degree), I'm not sure the Oilers can sign him regardless.

Sure. That is not what I asked. Aside from salary or cap considerations, which players are most valuable at this time. Rank them.

 

[BarDownBobo]

Sure. That is not what I asked. Aside from salary or cap considerations, which players are most valuable at this time. Rank them.

Cap considerations are the #1 factor into a players value in the NHL today so this is a terrible hypothetical.

 

[gordonhught]

Cap considerations are the #1 factor into a players value in the NHL today so this is a terrible hypothetical.

The fact no one will give a direct answer is telling.

Of the players listed, which players are the most valuable to the team right now? In what order?

Easy question. Cap is irrelevant for this question.

EDIT - If the cap is the #1 consideration in a players value, I guess Drai is more valuable than Connor because Drai makes less. Maybe Gaudreau is more valuable than either Drai or Connor because he makes a lot less than either Drai or Connor.

 

[ManByng]

1 goal since February. I could see it if it was just bad puck luck. But hes struggling with mechanics, timing and one play last week he skated onto a puck and whacked at it and the puck went between his legs. It was such an off look at this level that leads one to believe that he isn't even close to knowing where the puck is.

It gets to more than just confidence. Shooting at this level has been an area of struggle for Jesse his whole career here and I've come to be a big fan of his overall play, and defensive aspects. But he's a high #1 pick with expectations. He needs to be able to score.

The good news is it lowers contract I guess.

The bad news is I think McD is kind of in his head. Every time McD feeds him a perfect pass and he doesn't score Pulju becomes sheepish, like he's guilty, and I think mentally its weighing on him. I'm not convinced theres much mojo with him and McD. I think Drai is the better fit and more accommodating for Jesse.

I still feel that one of Jesse or Yamo is gone after this year if they can find a RW who can score goals? Both players struggled mightily this year but I think there’s a better upside long term with Yamo so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Oilers try to see if there’s a market for guys like Jesse, Barrie or even Nuge after these playoffs!!

 

[bobbythebrain]

Interesting how some fans disappear from the board after a game where the whole team plays well.

Lol. After the first period the GDT was filled w/ ppl wanting him demoted.

Your overreaction to 1 goal is so predictable.

 

[McSpecial DraiBlend]

I still feel that one of Jesse or Yamo is gone after this year if they can find a RW who can score goals? Both players struggled mightily this year but I think there’s a better upside long term with Yamo so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Oilers try to see if there’s a market for guys like Jesse, Barrie or even Nuge after these playoffs!!

Jesse will sign a offersheet from a analytic heavy team this offseason imo.
Might take care of the issue you talk of even though I really like Jesse.

 

[FlameChampion]

Sure. That is not what I asked. Aside from salary or cap considerations, which players are most valuable at this time. Rank them.

My bad. I didn’t read carefully.

I would probably rank them
Kane
JP
Yama
McLeod

But I think it’s tough.

Kane is pretty easy to rank. Covers a lot of facets especially for this team. I still worry what the cost of the contract is.

JP while his finishing is below average, I think he does a lot of other things well. Good on Forecheck. Goes to net. I think he has more potential than Yamamoto. I think he just has a more rare set of tools.

Yamamoto is super competitive and while I like the player, not sure how much else he provides. Doesn’t have great finishing either and his skating doesn’t cause him a lot separation. He works hard and hes smart.

Probably put McLeod last but I think its more just sample size. I think with Woodcroft, McLeod touches more areas of game. Hes trending nicely, and I think has lots of room to grow. His skating will keep him in the NHL along with his personality. I wouldn’t be surprised if has a pretty solid NHL career.

 

[gordonhught]

My bad. I didn’t read carefully.

I would probably rank them
Kane
JP
Yama
McLeod

But I think it’s tough.

Kane is pretty easy to rank. Covers a lot of facets especially for this team. I still worry what the cost of the contract is.

JP while his finishing is below average, I think he does a lot of other things well. Good on Forecheck. Goes to net. I think he has more potential than Yamamoto. I think he just has a more rare set of tools.

Yamamoto is super competitive and while I like the player, not sure how much else he provides. Doesn’t have great finishing either and his skating doesn’t cause him a lot separation. He works hard and hes smart.

Probably put McLeod last but I think its more just sample size. I think with Woodcroft, McLeod touches more areas of game. Hes trending nicely, and I think has lots of room to grow. His skating will keep him in the NHL along with his personality. I wouldn’t be surprised if has a pretty solid NHL career.

No problem.

I don't agree with your rankings, but at least you provided a thoughtful response which is nice.

 

[Oilhawks]

Lol. After the first period the GDT was filled w/ ppl wanting him demoted.

Your overreaction to 1 goal is so predictable.

JP was pretty awful in game 1, but even without the goal, he was playing very well overall game 2

 

[McAsuno]

Lol. After the first period the GDT was filled w/ ppl wanting him demoted.

Your overreaction to 1 goal is so predictable.

Good thing there are two more periods after the first then right ? Aside from missing a pass to McDavid's stick for a deflection that negated into an icing rather than a line change, he played great.

 

[Kaptah2]

Lol. After the first period the GDT was filled w/ ppl wanting him demoted.

Your overreaction to 1 goal is so predictable.

 

[gordonhught]

So we all agree then? JP should be on the fourth line and traded in the offseason.

Someone else can play the top six minutes that JP should be playing now.

What a joke. If it was not for Connor, JP does not get more than 20 points. He is a net drag on Connor on the top line.

AND, I want him to do well, but a duck is a duck.

 

[FlameChampion]

No problem.

I don't agree with your rankings, but at least you provided a thoughtful response which is nice.

I think for me I just see JP as much rarer type of player. So I see more value in it. Hes big and fast. As hard as people are on JP, I think he impacts the game in lots of ways. His finishing ability is a problem. That being hypothetically speaking, if he works on his shooting the entire offseason, and becomes an average finisher or above average finisher - whats his value then?. It might not happen but it might. That being said, while I am a fan of JP, I am not really sure how well he fits on this team. There is part of me, that thinks he would be a much better player on a team like Carolina for example. So exploring a trade provided that the value is there, might make sense. Some teams heavy in analytics might pay a very good price for him.

With Yamamoto, I actually think hes the easier of the four to replace (but I still like him - I like all 4 players really). Hes a smaller player. Doesnt really have elite shot, skating etc. I see him more as a finished product. I thought he was a bit of a non factor in lots of games this year. I think what you see is what you get with him. Which isnt a bad thing. I think he can improve with experience/confidence but I'm not sure if he can really improve his skills. He apparently worked on his finishing during the season. Hes put up a respectable amount of goals this season but we havent seen many glimses of where his improved finishing has paid off. Dude works his ass off though. And while some of my post, sounds like I am discrediting the guy. Game 1 of this series showed that the guy can turn it up another level. Not everyone can and maybe I should give him more credit for that. My question is, I just wonder how long he can play his game considering his size? He takes a lot of abuse out there combined with the way he plays.

 

[Kaptah2]

Jesse is still seemingly raw and lanky. Will be a late bloomer, like big players often are. Giving up on him at age 23 is a ridiculous suggestion.

 

[McAsuno]

So we all agree then? JP should be on the fourth line and traded in the offseason.

Someone else can play the top six minutes that JP should be playing now.

What a joke. If it was not for Connor, JP does not get more than 20 points. He is a net drag on Connor on the top line.

AND, I want him to do well, but a duck is a duck.

Is this satire? Lol

 

[North Cole]

So we all agree then? JP should be on the fourth line and traded in the offseason.

Someone else can play the top six minutes that JP should be playing now.

What a joke. If it was not for Connor, JP does not get more than 20 points. He is a net drag on Connor on the top line.

AND, I want him to do well, but a duck is a duck.

Maybe this is sarcasm but no - we don't all agree. JP Should absolutely not be on the fourth line. That would be horrific

 

[gordonhught]

Is this satire? Lol

My mistake.

I guess I am wrong. Just for fun, let us list the Oilers wingers who JP is clearly better than. Or, list the players that JP brings more than.

Shore, Turris, Brassard

That is all.

Or, we can look at it as which wingers are better or bring more than JP right now:

Kane, Hyman, Yamo, Kassian, Ryan, maybe Archibald (at least he throws a check), and maybe McLeod (can drive a line). Even it you take out Archibald and Ryan and McLeod, that makes JP the 5th best winger on the team. He should be on the third line at most.

JP is about as productive as Foegele. But, at least Foegele will try to play a physical game.

 

[gordonhught]

I am from Finland. Trump supporters are a very small minority here, which is nice, and probably has something to do with our education system.

Now I understand why you are such a JP fan.