Oilers GM Ken Holland reveals what he's looking for in exchange for Puljujarvi's rights; here's what the Leafs could offer
For Jesse Puljujarvi, the last 6 seasons with the Oilers have been a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of fighting for a roster spot, requesting a trade, holding out, finally signing and then failing to grab ahold of a consistent roster spot in the top 6. For a player drafted 4th overall in 2016, it's not exactly a fairytale story.
Thankfully for Puljujarvi, the nightmare in Edmonton may finally be coming to an end. Per several reports over the last couple of weeks, the Oilers and Puljujarvi are finally headed for a split this summer, with the RFA's rights officially on the market. There was originally some opinions that Puljujarvi simply may not be qualified or may go to salary arbitration, but now it appears likely that he's traded long before either of those two scenarios occurs.
Per Daniel Nugent-Bowman, the Oilers are not interested in simply pulling the trigger on a deal for a pick or another future asset. GM Ken Holland is looking for a piece that helps the Oilers this year. Holland also stated that he has no intention of giving away an asset like a former top-5 pick.
We saw last summer how Holland is willing to dig his heels in during the Zach Hyman negotiations with the Leafs. Holland was believed to have offered the Leafs a 6th or 7th round pick, while Toronto was adamant that the pick needed to be a bit better, given the fact that allowing the Oilers to get that 8th year on Hyman could be of an enormous benefit to the Oilers to keep his AAV lower. In the end, Holland wouldn't increase his offer to a 4th or 5th rounder, and Hyman ended up signing for 7 years at $5.5M per season instead of 8 years at ~$5M.
In terms of the Leafs potentially being interested, I definitely think there's a fit there. If they have no intentions of re-signing Jack Campbell, perhaps a deal where they send Campbell's rights to Edmonton for Puljujarvi's rights with balancing pieces on either side, both parties will get what they want. Of course, this only works if the Leafs have a deal lined up for a new starting goaltender.
I am speculating here, but I believe a Puljujarvi deal gets done at the draft this coming week. If not, there is less than a week remaining until he becomes eligible to become a UFA (if left unqualified) or goes to salary arbitration (if qualified). There also exists the possibility of an offer sheet, though we don't often see those.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 2 | 585 ANSWERS Oilers GM Ken Holland reveals what he's looking for in exchange for Puljujarvi's rights; here's what the Leafs could offer Would you offer Jack Campbell's rights for Jesse Puljujarvi's rights if you were Kyle Dubas? | ||
| Yes | 238 | 40.7 % |
| No | 245 | 41.9 % |
| Maybe, depending on the balancing pieces | 102 | 17.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
