I am so blessed to have the global friends that I do. When overseas interviews are published in another language, they come to my rescue so that I don’t fall victim to Google Translate. To those who’ve lent a helping hand over the years, thank you!
According to an interview with Svenska,yle.fi, Jesse Puljujarvi has said that September will be when he decides where he’ll be playing in 2019/20. There’s some speculation that timing is tied to the final examination due on his surgically repaired hips.
I’m surprised nobody has found this article as it’s around 3 weeks old.
Within that article is another link to a previous post and here are some consolidated highlights.
- The hips feel great. He’s not worried and he trusts his agent and the process.
– Some people like to say that the agent works for the player, but is that really the case for really young players who have no idea how to navigate the waters they jump into when they begin their NHL careers? What if Holland went to Lehto and said they’ll work something out if he could get Jesse to come back and Lehto agreed that was best? If Pulju really trusts his agent, he’d probably do that, right? - Still would prefer a fresh start with another club because he believes if he gets the chance, he can still play in the NHL.
– I think this is fair too. Ask yourself, when’s the last time a WJHC MVP flopped? It’s a rare occurrence. Some might be shocked when they see another NHL team playing Jesse to his strengths, not forcing him to be the next Tomas Holmstrom and actually passing the puck to him when he calls for it as he drives through the neutral zone. - Some mention of losing confidence in Edmonton and intimates that he doesn’t feel that much will change if he returns to the Oilers.
– As I’ve said time and time again, it’s not the new coach and the new GM that is the problem… I truly feel It’s the players Jesse would be playing with in the Oilers top-6 that is driving this request. - He’s still determined to play in North America this season.
- He hasn’t been following the media coverage coming out of North America.
– That’s got to be tough when the news is making its way into Finnish publications now. - Lehto says that the issue of Puljujarvi began last season.
– If you recall, there was a meeting in Nashville between the Oilers brass and Markus Lehto last year, shortly before Ryan Rishaug said the Oilers were open to trading him. Maybe Chiarelli and Nicholson were on board with trading Jesse at that time? This sort of brings us to Lowetide’s theory that the agent and the player were (are) aware of some offers and are trying to push things through and I don’t mind that idea but perhaps Ken Holland has slammed the brakes on any potential deals that were previously negotiated.
The value of Puljujarvi has come up recently and I’m of the opinion that at minimum, he’s a 30pt winger right now. He could top 40pts if he was dealt to the right team. Consider that he scored 20pts as a 19-year-old two years ago in 60-ish games, surely 30pts isn’t out of the question when he’s completely healthy, two years older and stronger, and mentally in the right frame of mind.
Imagine if he went to the Hurricanes and his center was longtime friend Sebastian Aho and his left winger was fellow countryman Teuvo Teravainen or Nino Niederreiter. You can imagine there’d be a bit more understanding on the ice with those players and if that’s not an ideal situation, what is?
I’ve heard from a source in Finland that on the outside Jesse seems as happy as could be, but on the inside he’s furious. And when he’s like that it means he’s motivated and folks had better watch out. For those of you that watched him play in Bakersfield last season for that short stint, you’d know what I’m talking about.
So we wait. Jesse will continue to rehab and train in Oulu and NHL teams will be getting together in September and slowly rosters will start to take shape over the course of the month. It’s not out of the ordinary for there to be some pre-season trades, but if I’m being completely honest, I won’t be holding my breath awaiting news of a Puljujarvi trade because Mr. Holland cannot afford to lose this trade.
