Insider says Oilers may have to ''take it between the eyes'', sell low on former top-5 pick; the Leafs should absolutely buy low on this kid
With the start of free agency now just 3 days away, there are plenty of teams who will have to make some very important decisions. One of the teams who faces one of the bigger potential decisions is the Edmonton Oilers in relation to what they plan to do about RFA winger Jesse Puljujarvi.
Earlier this week, TSN's Darren Dreger had the latest on Jesse Puljujarvi and the Oilers and Dreger revealed that the Oilers are both worried and frustrated with the situation. They're frustrated that there's a huge lack of interest in Puljujarvi, a former top-5 pick, and worried that they're going to have to "take it between the eyes" and sell low on the young winger.
"Jesse Puljujarvi doesn't fit, I don't think, in the bottom six in Edmonton and you can see the body language of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when they're frustrated by his play and his decision-making. So it just feels like the right time to move for both Jesse Puljujarvi, to give him a fresh start, and to the Oilers to maybe reinvest those dollars elsewhere. They're worried that he's gonna get moved and he's gonna pop, and he's gonna find a way to be more impactful that he's been in Edmonton."
-Dreger on the Oilers and Puljujarvi headed for a split
-Dreger on the Oilers and Puljujarvi headed for a split
If the Oilers are indeed selling low, and they'll have to, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas needs to pick up the phone and work out a deal with Oilers GM Ken Holland on Jesse Puljujarvi. The 24-year-old has shown improvements in his game over the last 2 seasons and is absolutely due, as Dreger suggested, to pop off sooner than later. This could be a very low risk, potentially enormous reward move.
Puljujarvi is a 6'4 physical winger who has shown the ability to be a very good secondary scorer. He may have to work a bit on his decision-making, but perhaps some guidance under a new development group who spares no expense to help maximize the potential of its young players (such as the Leafs) could benefit a player of Puljujarvi's skill set and that a fresh start could be just what the doctor ordered.
His play both with and without the puck is remarkably pretty good, which is really wild, considering how sour on him the Oilers are. The 24-year-old winger had a positive takeaway to giveaway ratio last season, was credited with 81 hits, and had 36 points in just over 16 minutes of ice time per game on average.
The big Fin finished each of the last two seasons with double digits in goals with 15 and 14 goals, respectively, in 55 and 65 games in 2020-21 and 2021-22. He's a right shot, which means that if the Leafs intend to use him on his strong side, he'd likely start on the third line and potentially work his way up. The other option is to utilize William Nylander on the left wing, where he has played before, and slide Puljujarvi into that 2RW spot with he and captain John Tavares.
In terms of what the actual ask is from the Oilers versus what they're expected to get on the trade market, Dreger did not have anything to reveal other than the fact that the Oilers could be preparing to deal him for pennies on the dollar. It could end up being a pick for the player or even a straight up prospect swap, which is wild, considering the fact that at one point, Puljujarvi was expected to be the 3rd overall pick over Pierre-Luc Dubois in the 2016 draft.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 10 | 766 ANSWERS Insider says Oilers may have to ''take it between the eyes'', sell low on former top-5 pick; the Leafs should absolutely buy low on this kid Are the Leafs and winger Jesse Puljujarvi a fit? | ||
| Definitely.. he was a top-5 pick | 92 | 12 % |
| Depends on what the Oilers want for him | 262 | 34.2 % |
| Depends on what he wants as an AAV | 167 | 21.8 % |
| Nah, pass | 245 | 32 % |
| List of polls | ||
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