Let’s get this out of the way lickity split. Jesse Puljujarvi played his first professional hockey game in nearly seven months as his Karpat club won 3-1 in a Champions Hockey League match vs French club Grenoble. He walked away with one goal, one assist, six shots, and two blocked shots in 15:15 of ice time.
He was slashing through the slot, being a net-front presence, getting himself set up on the left half-wall for multiple one-timers. He’s faster and stronger and it showed in his forechecking (I still maintain he’s the best forechecker the Oilers have… or had I should say). The way he builds up speed through the D-zone and when his defensemen actually give him the puck, it allows him to penetrate the neutral zone and the other team’s blueline with ease.
It wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops though. He did show some rust by misplaying some passes, missing some checks, and getting the puck taken away rushing through the neutral zone, but for the most part, he was as dominant in that environment as he was at the AHL level last season in Bakersfield AND his coach kept him on the same line for more than three shifts. Amazing…
I loved what I saw and I’m jacked to see him smiling again!
Grenoble obviously isn’t NHL caliber, but it’s a start on the road to redemption for Jesse. Next up is SC Bern! I’m assuming that the Swiss club will be a much tougher opponent for Karpat than Grenoble and Oilers fans will be interested to know that Mark Arcobello laces ’em up for Bern. It should be a beauty!
ANTON BURDASOV
Hearing that Anton Burdasov is in talks with 3 teams. As far as I'm concerned one of them is Edmonton. And that would be the best destination for him. He would be on top-6 and he could use the big shot he has with a supply of playmakers the #oilers have. And they have enough
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) August 30, 2019
OH THE IRONY!
Earlier this summer there were reports that the Rangers, the Panthers, and the Flyers were in on this fella.
A few pertinent questions though.
- I just wonder if his English is good enough, right?
- Is he going to be expecting top-6 minutes in order to leave Russia and move to Edmonton?
- How will the experiences of Anton Belov, Nail Yakupov, and Anton Slepyshev color his opinion on the Oilers?
- Is anybody concerned about the transition from the international ice to the North American ice?
- How would he feel about spending some time in the AHL to get acclimated?
- Would he be against some English lessons once or twice a week?
“Some reports indicate he’ll only sign with an NHL team that can guarantee him top nine minutes…” (Source)
Yikes…
Burdasov scored 19 goals and 12 assists last season in 50 games for UFA playing alongside a host of former Edmonton Oilers,
- Linus Omark
- Teemu Hartikainen
- Philip Larsen
- Vladdy Tkachyev
- Alexei Semenov
I can only imagine they had glowing reports of Edmonton for Burdasov…
The Hockey News had this to say about him back in May,
Burdasov only played in two games during Salavat Yulaev Ufa’s long playoff run due to injuries, but that doesn’t take away from the winger’s great year. The 6-foot-2, 234-pound power forward tied his career high, registering 31 points this year, while upping his aggressive play, going from 18 PIM last year to 114 this season. The biggest knock on Burdasov is his speed, but on the plus side, he does so many things right around the net, whether it be creating havoc around the crease or finding a way to get a shot away from any angle. The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the teams expected to pursue Burdasov over the next few months, and whichever team lands him will add a bit of scoring depth.
Skating a problem eh… That should bode well for an NHL career.
I don’t know how this is a player that is expected to be a top-6 player at the NHL level with his numbers let alone his physical deficiencies. To put it in perspective, last year Nikita Gusev (the guy NJ traded for this summer) had 82pts for SKA last year, Nail Yakupov (former knee-sliding legend) had 23 goals, Jesse Joensuu (Former Oiler) had 19 goals and 18 assists, Mikhail Grigorenko (Former Avalanche) had 17 goals and 35 assists, Linden Vey (former Canuck) had 12 goals and 31 assists, Anton Slepyshev (Former Oiler) had 15 goals and 10 assists, Nikolai Kulemin (former Leaf) had 16 goals and 19 assists… Even Iiro the Hero had 19 goals last year.
I dunno, I’d pass on this guy, but I don’t know everything about him or the relationships involved. There are better players out there in my opinion and to my understanding, he was a linemate of Panarin earlier in their careers, so maybe there’s a reunion in the works there and Edmonton will luck out…
Perhaps he’s the best of the Russian free-agents though, which should say a lot about how Edmonton is viewed by the available NHL free-agents living in North America and maybe a bit about where Holland is shopping.
