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guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
33,153
12,997
A good article by Matt Henderson verbalizing some people's frustrations with gifting Puljujarvi a spot on the team.

http://oilersnation.com/2016/10/11/pretending-puljujarvi-is-ready-hurts-the-club

Good article.

There is no shame in not being ready, but there is one in exposing a kid to the NHL before he’s ready. It can negatively affect the player and certainly will negatively affect the team. Puljujarvi’s English is rudimentary at best. He’s not familiar with the rink size and even he could express as much. He wasn’t effective at all in the defensive, neutral, or offensive zone.

The Oilers ARE going to give him nine games in the NHL, most likely right away. They do that despite the fact that he didn’t pass the test after the six games he saw over the last two and a half weeks. Unlike the CHL players who Edmonton drafted before him, Puljujarvi can play in the AHL right now and be recalled at will. Leon Draisaitl, Taylor Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins’ 9 game audition HAD to happen at the beginning of the season. Puljujarvi’s audition can come now, December, or March if the team wanted (or needed) it. It can come after he’s earned it.

Pretty much sums up my feelings on Puljujarvi.

Absolutely head scratching that the Oilers are going to play this kid in the NHL at this time. :help:
 

Kolja

1-5-6-14
Oct 30, 2011
782
691
Perhaps they want to give Pulju 9-games to give him a decent paycheck and an idea on what he needs to work on. During those games Chia has time to find a suitable RW via trade (Fayne etc) or waivers?

But I agree, Pulju could use some time in AHL. Would be the only fair thing to do. Give him a chance to embrace the NA-hockey at a slower pace.
 

48g90a138pts

Registered User
Jun 30, 2016
10,391
5,754
Lol, looking on cap friendly Versteeg has a M-NTC on his contract. I thought wow a one year deal with a M-NTC. his modified no trade clause is a 3 team list...lol.:biglaugh:

There must be three teams he really dislikes.

Strange modified no trade clause no?

:huh:
 

McTedi

Registered User
Jul 16, 2008
12,596
5,914
Edmonton
A good article by Matt Henderson verbalizing some people's frustrations with gifting Puljujarvi a spot on the team.

http://oilersnation.com/2016/10/11/pretending-puljujarvi-is-ready-hurts-the-club
Meh...lately Henderson spouts off about everything now, like that other hack Cloutier. Hall got 3 pts and LD got 2 pts with pretty similar SOG as Pulju and they earned their 9 game try out? Not to mention that Hall and LD both were being pushed for top 6 roles out of the gate, Puljujarvi not so much. Puljujarvi has a world class release on his shot and the kid looks big out there. He didn't carry the puck or utilize his speed very much which was surprising, could be a product of small ice and chemistry (language barrier) with teammates. I agree I don't want to see another kid's confidence crushed out of gate but a lot of this stuff is over reactions to Versteeg not wanting to sit on the sidelines and wait. Sure it would be nice to have a safety net already in place but there is time to find a suitable player in that role if Pulju doesn't pan out. It is a bottom six role, shouldn't be that hard to find if need be. Relax everyone the season isn't doomed yet.
 

Mara

Registered User
May 10, 2011
779
141
He didn't carry the puck or utilize his speed very much which was surprising, could be a product of small ice and chemistry (language barrier) with teammates.

The last couple of years he's mostly been playing a very slow system where the unit gets in formation before attacking, he would get his legs moving and the center would try to feed him, allowing him to fly through mid ice. What I saw of him in the preseason he didn't really understand what he was supposed to be doing and there was indeed very little chemistry with his linemates. I can imagine it's a bit awkward when you can't discuss plays indepth with the other players without a translator. :laugh:
 

Burnt Biscuits

Registered User
May 2, 2010
9,164
3,179
Meh...lately Henderson spouts off about everything now, like that other hack Cloutier. Hall got 3 pts and LD got 2 pts with pretty similar SOG as Pulju and they earned their 9 game try out? Not to mention that Hall and LD both were being pushed for top 6 roles out of the gate, Puljujarvi not so much. Puljujarvi has a world class release on his shot and the kid looks big out there. He didn't carry the puck or utilize his speed very much which was surprising, could be a product of small ice and chemistry (language barrier) with teammates. I agree I don't want to see another kid's confidence crushed out of gate but a lot of this stuff is over reactions to Versteeg not wanting to sit on the sidelines and wait. Sure it would be nice to have a safety net already in place but there is time to find a suitable player in that role if Pulju doesn't pan out. It is a bottom six role, shouldn't be that hard to find if need be. Relax everyone the season isn't doomed yet.
Hall got 3 points in 3 games, that is quite a bit different than the one point in 6 games Pulju put up and both of Hall and Draisaitl looked substantially better in their respective rookie camps than Pulju has in his, as history shows us Drai who had similar statistical results in pre-season proved to not be ready in his 1st season. Second their 9 game try-outs (in Draisaitl's case 37 games :laugh:) had to come at the front of the season like Henderson points out, once you send them back to junior they are gone, with only that late season exception where you can call a junior player up if you have so many injuries (and I think their season has to be over). Puljujarvi can be moved from the AHL to the NHL and back again with a simple roster transaction given that he played professionally in Europe last year, better to give him his 9 game shot when he is better acclimated to the North American game and his confidence is high. Puljujarvi seems like an outgoing kid, I think those long AHL bus-rides would get him learning the English language real quick, I think a big part of Yak having so much trouble here early is his English wasn't very good and we had trouble communicating to him in a way that he'd understand what we wanted out of him or what we needed him to improve and he had trouble communicating what he wanted or how he saw things lending to his frustrations.

Having been an Oiler fan through the entirety of the **** show, I think it is highly reasonable for me to be pessimistic of properly patching the hole on the 3rd line if Pulju or even Caggiula flounders, and also being pessimistic that we will do what is best for our prospects we haven't been shy about leaving them in the deep end, even when their struggles are highly noticeable for way longer then any other sensible organization would. I remember going entire seasons not patching a glaring hole at the 4th line center spot, passing over potential waiver fixes and seeing players who would address the issue moved for next to nothing like a 4th or 5th round pick.

All organizations in the modern NHL era gamble a bit on prospects and have some wishful thinking that they can take on a certain role, but as an organization we gamble far more often then is actually necessary or practical and we tend to not have a back-up plan if things don't turn out.
 
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North

Registered User
Jun 25, 2009
15,697
13,298
Are people seriously that opposed to giving Puljujarvi his 9 games?
 

Burnt Biscuits

Registered User
May 2, 2010
9,164
3,179
Are people seriously that opposed to giving Puljujarvi his 9 games?

I am against gifting spots just cause of how high you were drafted all spots should be earned. If you play in the NHL it should be because you belong in the NHL, aside from call-ups out of necessity due to injuries or the late in season our playoff hopes are dashed and we want to give a young player a few games to better evaluate them.

I also believe in putting prospect in positions to succeed, I don't think Pulju looks ready at the moment, why set him up to fail? Send him down and call him up when he is better acclimated. I bet if he gets 50 games in the AHL he will be ready to become a full time NHLer who can make a positive impact and never get sent down again. I feel like we already have our notes on things we want him to work on, do we really need to wait 9 games to tell him what we already know? If the pre-season is enough to judge all the other players we've sent down, I don't see any reason to drag out things with Puljujarvi.

Maybe I'm wrong and Pulju will take off like a rocket right when the regular season begins, but I've seen a lot of prospects who seem worse off for being rushed then from prospects who spend a little extra time honing their craft in junior or a lower level professional league.

For me disliking the idea of keeping Puljujarvi up when pretty much everyone agrees didn't earn it based off of his play.

Is 10% I think it slightly hurts the teams ability to pick up points towards a playoff spot
30% It is bad organizational policy to gift spots, breeding a culture of hard work where spots and chances are earned just lends itself to a stronger organization in the long run.
60% It just isn't the right choice for Puljujarvi's long term development. We are very bad at developing players and I see decisions like this contributing to that trend.
 

KeithIsActuallyBad

You thrust your pelvis, huh!
Apr 12, 2010
72,605
31,665
Calgary
I am against gifting spots just cause of how high you were drafted all spots should be earned. If you play in the NHL it should be because you belong in the NHL, aside from call-ups out of necessity due to injuries or the late in season our playoff hopes are dashed and we want to give a young player a few games to better evaluate them.

I also believe in putting prospect in positions to succeed, I don't think Pulju looks ready at the moment, why set him up to fail? Send him down and call him up when he is better acclimated. I bet if he gets 50 games in the AHL he will be ready to become a full time NHLer who can make a positive impact and never get sent down again. I feel like we already have our notes on things we want him to work on, do we really need to wait 9 games to tell him what we already know? If the pre-season is enough to judge all the other players we've sent down, I don't see any reason to drag out things with Puljujarvi.

Maybe I'm wrong and Pulju will take off like a rocket right when the regular season begins, but I've seen a lot of prospects who seem worse off for being rushed then from prospects who spend a little extra time honing their craft in junior or a lower level professional league.

For me disliking the idea of keeping Puljujarvi up when pretty much everyone agrees didn't earn it based off of his play.

Is 10% I think it slightly hurts the teams ability to pick up points towards a playoff spot

30% It is bad organizational policy to gift spots, breeding a culture of hard work where spots and chances are earned just lends itself to a stronger organization in the long run.
60% It just isn't the right choice for Puljujarvi's long term development. We are very bad at developing players and I see decisions like this contributing to that trend.

Don't kid yourself. This team isn't making the playoffs regardless if JP plays or not.
 

North

Registered User
Jun 25, 2009
15,697
13,298
I am against gifting spots just cause of how high you were drafted all spots should be earned. If you play in the NHL it should be because you belong in the NHL, aside from call-ups out of necessity due to injuries or the late in season our playoff hopes are dashed and we want to give a young player a few games to better evaluate them.

I also believe in putting prospect in positions to succeed, I don't think Pulju looks ready at the moment, why set him up to fail? Send him down and call him up when he is better acclimated. I bet if he gets 50 games in the AHL he will be ready to become a full time NHLer who can make a positive impact and never get sent down again. I feel like we already have our notes on things we want him to work on, do we really need to wait 9 games to tell him what we already know? If the pre-season is enough to judge all the other players we've sent down, I don't see any reason to drag out things with Puljujarvi.

Maybe I'm wrong and Pulju will take off like a rocket right when the regular season begins, but I've seen a lot of prospects who seem worse off for being rushed then from prospects who spend a little extra time honing their craft in junior or a lower level professional league.

For me disliking the idea of keeping Puljujarvi up when pretty much everyone agrees didn't earn it based off of his play.

Is 10% I think it slightly hurts the teams ability to pick up points towards a playoff spot
30% It is bad organizational policy to gift spots, breeding a culture of hard work where spots and chances are earned just lends itself to a stronger organization in the long run.
60% It just isn't the right choice for Puljujarvi's long term development. We are very bad at developing players and I see decisions like this contributing to that trend.

He is one of the 4 best RWs on the team, even with Versteeg.

The points may not have been there but the defensive awareness is.

He gets his 9 games. I think he earned that at least.
 

SK13

non torsii subligarium
Jul 23, 2007
32,762
6,382
Edmonton
He is one of the 4 best RWs on the team, even with Versteeg.

The points may not have been there but the defensive awareness is.

He gets his 9 games. I think he earned that at least.

I didn't see anything special as far as "defensive awareness" goes out of Pulju. He certainly has upside, and with his size and skills there's no reason he can't be okay at the NHL level - particularly on the third line where expectations are grounded.

I would prefer Slepyshev in that role, though. Older, more experienced, more physically engaged and he had a better camp. It let's us give Puljujarvi some time to bake on the top-line in Bako. I'm not stressed that it's not happening immediately though. I just hope it happens if/when Puljujarvi struggles in the first couple games.
 

McNuge

Registered User
Dec 17, 2010
1,855
1,625
Cambridge Ontario
Pretty sure the team wanted to start him in the AHL this year. Obviously with Versteeg leaving and trading Yakupov they really don't have that option anymore. Not sure why everyone is all up in arms with allowing him to start in the NHL. You have to give him time to adjust. He is an 18 year old kid who just moved to a new country and is trying to get a grasp on everything. We can send him to Bako any time, cool your jets. There is no way he is any less reliable than half the roster last year.
 

North

Registered User
Jun 25, 2009
15,697
13,298
I didn't see anything special as far as "defensive awareness" goes out of Pulju. He certainly has upside, and with his size and skills there's no reason he can't be okay at the NHL level - particularly on the third line where expectations are grounded.

I would prefer Slepyshev in that role, though. Older, more experienced, more physically engaged and he had a better camp. It let's us give Puljujarvi some time to bake on the top-line in Bako. I'm not stressed that it's not happening immediately though. I just hope it happens if/when Puljujarvi struggles in the first couple games.

That's the thing, I'd prefer Slepyshev there too, but I'm willing to give Puljujarvi his 9 games.

If he's not ready, send him to the AHL.

The thing is, if keeping him up is the difference between reaching or missing the playoffs than there are far bigger problems on this team.
 

McNuge

Registered User
Dec 17, 2010
1,855
1,625
Cambridge Ontario
That's the thing, I'd prefer Slepyshev there too, but I'm willing to give Puljujarvi his 9 games.

If he's not ready, send him to the AHL.

The thing is, if keeping him up is the difference between reaching or missing the playoffs than there are far bigger problems on this team.

Agreed
 

PinSeeker

Really narrowed his eyyyyyyyyyesssssss
Aug 22, 2005
4,107
1,212
YLW
I have said it before, yes Puljujarvi was a bit lost in pre-season, but can anyone count how many times he received a pass in the slot/on the half wall on the PP with a clear shooting opportunity? The answer, is zero. Zilch. None. Nada. Nunca. Nyet.

He was done no favors - his big weapon is his shot and skating with the puck. He barely saw it, if at all, in the offensive zone. The kid, at this stage at least, is a trigger man. He needs to play with someone who can get him the puck.

All that said, still thought Versteeg was a good move, but with the injury and his demands for playing high up the lineup, not worried about the loss
 

CupofOil

Knob Flavored Coffey
Aug 20, 2009
46,878
40,866
NYC
Matt Henderson and good article should never be used in the same sentence. With that said I obviously didn't read it lol.

You should read it because he outlined all the concerns that some of us have with rushing this kid to the big league. It's as if nothing has changed from Tambellini to MacT to Chia in the sense that entitlement rules and players get gifted spots based on draft pedigree as opposed to actually earning it. Draisaitl being the most recent example and Nurse to an extent.

Pulju looks more lost and confused than any of the previous draftees trying to crack the roster, I can't point to any aspect of his game that looks NHL ready right now. Even he admitted that he's had a hard time adjusting to the smaller ice. Nothing like a trial by fire against the best in the world to try to figure it out. :shakehead
 

KeithIsActuallyBad

You thrust your pelvis, huh!
Apr 12, 2010
72,605
31,665
Calgary
You should read it because he outlined all the concerns that some of us have with rushing this kid to the big league. It's as if nothing has changed from Tambellini to MacT to Chia in the sense that entitlement rules and players get gifted spots based on draft pedigree as opposed to actually earning it. Draisaitl being the most recent example and Nurse to an extent.

Nah it's Matt Henderson. A toxic-spewing ********* who ***** on anything and everything Oilers. But I suppose a guy about as connected as Eklund is smarter than everyone. At least with that Texas-sized ego he should be.
 

CupofOil

Knob Flavored Coffey
Aug 20, 2009
46,878
40,866
NYC
Nah it's Matt Henderson. A toxic-spewing ********* who ***** on anything and everything Oilers. But I suppose a guy about as connected as Eklund is smarter than everyone. At least with that Texas-sized ego he should be.

Did you even read the article? If so, what did you disagree with outside of Matt Henderson is a giant dickwad so I don't care what he has to say.
 
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