It’s a glorious day Oilers fans! Our Finnish boy wonder is back and he’s ready to show the new bench boss exactly what he can do! I’m so bloody jacked that I forgot to watch the Condors game yesterday. Mind you they got roasted 6-1 by Tucson, so not that big of a loss but still, I’d like to see how Benson, Hebig, Jones, etc. are doing.
I’ve started contributing over at The Hockey Writers and my first post is live now. check it out below:
The Hockey Writers: Was Hiring Ken Hitchcock Peter Chiarelli’s Best Move To Date?
Yesterday I also wrote a piece on how I believe the Oilers are going after one of the Dallas Stars centers.
Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Chiarelli On the Hunt for a 3C https://t.co/PTWCXYGKjB
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— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) November 24, 2018
Today I’d like to focus on what Ken Hitchcock had to say regarding yesterday’s call-up of Jesse Puljujarvi.
Thoughts on Bringing Up Jesse Puljujarvi
I don’t want to say it’s 100% on me but it’s 90%. I asked Peter, I felt like we could have two third lines and really do damage if we could put more heat on the puck and I watched two games that he (Puljujarvi) played, one in the NHL and one in the American Hockey League and I asked Peter if he’d give it some thought to make him part of the group and we could really build a line. He said “sure!” so that’s why we made the switch.
I like parts of his game and the way we’re going to build that line and hopefully down the line within the month he gets into a top-6 role but right now, I think we’ve got a chance to really have a hard-charging line there and I wanted a guy like him part of it.
The first thing you probably noticed was Hitchcock taking onus with the development of this player. He’s making it a personal mission to get the most out of this player and by stating it publicly like he’s done is sticking his neck way out for Jesse.
I think the nicest thing Todd McLellan ever said about Pulju is that he’s a “diamond in the rough” but that said, T-Mac was always very realistic with his approach to young players. He kept his cards close to the vest for the most part there.
The other thing that stood out to me is that if Hitchcock could go to Chiarelli and ask him to bring Jesse up, it’s equally possible that McLellan went to his GM and said, send him down.
Maybe coaches have a larger hand in how roster management is handled than we think. I mean look at how many skilled wingers have been through Edmonton since 2015.
Does Puljujarvi Need to Do Anything Different?
I don’t want to see anything different. I want to just let him play with the puck like what he does. I like a lot of the stuff he does, I especially like a lot of the stuff, he makes little plays really well in the offensive zone but I want to be able to work closely with him and quickly with him to get the glide out of him when the other team has the puck.
I want to teach him and work with him to stay on the hunt longer. I think he shows the league, like any young player, he shows the league a little bit too much respect and I want to hunt it a little bit harder. So I’m going to stay on him on that but I like a lot of things he does that you can really make a good line from and I think as we move forward I want that line to become a line that’s tilted towards offense a little bit but still be responsible. I think it’s basically stay on the forecheck a bit longer, stay on the hunt a little bit longer, track pucks a little bit longer. Those are things that don’t come natural to any player, it has to be taught by the coach.
So I’m going to push really hard here but I see something that you can really really work with and so I asked Peter would he do it?
The pressure is off. It’s off with Lucic and it’s going to be off with Jesse. The significant change here from Hitchcock is that he’s giving the players defined roles on the team. He’s simplifying the game for them and that’s something I don’t believe I felt was present under McLellan.
Working with Young Players like Puljujarvi
There’s five or six guys. I’m not giving names but I’ve had a lot of success, quite frankly, taking players like Jesse and having quick turns and there’s probably some days he’s going to get tired of my voice because it’s going to be during practice like it was today and he caught himself and away he goes.
When you see something that good and that much, as a coach you wanna take responsibility for the growth of the player. You don’t want to sit there and watch them play in the American Hockey League and think he’s just going to score goals and that’s going to fix everything or he’s going to do this.
There’s elements of his game, it doesn’t matter what league he’s playing in, have to get better and I want that responsibility because the top-end is awful awful high and I want to work with that.
Hitchcock again tells is that he WANTS to work with Puljujarvi. He WANTS to use his experience and knowledge to HELP the player. This commitment to Pulju is staggeringly refreshing but not only that, the coach sees the importance of getting this player on track at the NHL level as it pertains to any future success the Oilers are going to have.
The Balance Between Patience and Results
Well that’s quite frankly why I asked Peter because I feel like this is the type of player, if we expect to win in this conference and this division, we need players like him (Puljujarvi). You can’t play in this league, especially in this conference backing up. You gotta stay on the hunt and I want him to stay on the hunt both ways not just one way. I want him to stay on the hunt both ways and if he does that then his reach, his size, he’s got a great stick and we can really punch pucks and create turnovers and hopefully create offense but I’m not going to base it on goals and assists.
I think he can really play on a line that can turn momentum and I want to be the guy responsible.
I’m very curious about this line that Hitchcock is looking to build that includes Puljujarvi. I wonder if Edmonton has the necessary personnel at this moment in time because with the way that Hitch is talking about players staying on the hunt and getting after the second and third chances, I feel like he’s going to need some more speed and aggression on that line. A player like Drake Caggiula really comes to mind.
So might we see a line that features the heft of Pulju and Khaira as well as the zip and punch of Drake Caggiula?
Getting Pulju Integrated ASAP
The talk was to let him play again tonight (vs. Tuscon) and I asked Peter can we get him to practice? I said I think it’s important we get him part of the group. We need him to practice. This was a hot practice again. This group practices harder than most teams I’ve ever seen and I think he needed to be part of it. I know it was difficult for him but it was good for him to but I asked Peter to do that too.
McLellan sat Puljujarvi and Yamamoto when he needed skilled wingers until Chiarelli’s hand was forced and they were sent to Bakersfield. Ken Hitchcock comes in and almost immediately gets Puljujarvi back up.
The feeling I got before Jesse was sent down was that he was having trouble being accepted by the group. Hitch isn’t going to put up with any BS like that in his dressing room. Maybe that’s the support Puljujarvi needs.
