I was fully expecting to read the news that my boy Jesse Puljujarvi had been sent to Bakersfield upon waking this morning. Instead, I get to read that he’s been put on the IR with a “lower body injury”. Did he stub his toe at West Edmonton Mall signing autographs today or is he suffering from swollen scrotum syndrome from being kicked in the nuts repeatedly by the organization?
Either way, things are not rosy between the two camps, but I’ve got a couple of theories as it is.
THEORY #1: REBUILDING THE RELATIONSHIP
It’s no secret that Keith Gretzky is attempting to undo what Peter Chiarelli did. This includes the trades to bring in Brandon Manning, Alex Petrovic, and Ryan Spooner. We can also throw in the hiring of Ken Hitchcock.
What if the Oilers put Jesse on the IR to give themselves time to move out the bodies that Hitch has been playing ahead of Jesse in the lineup? Meaning Zack Kassian and Alex Chiasson. This would be an attempt to extend the olive branch while satisfying the wishes of the player and his agent by not sending him to the AHL. Additionally, it would give Puljujarvi the opportunity to show what he’s got playing alongside McDavid or RNH for the remainder of the season and as a bi-product all the team to showcase him at the same time.
Of course, in this scenario, Hitchcock would need to be on board but there are some rumblings that he won’t last after the deadline as it is…
THEORY #2: HE GONE!
The other theory is that the Oilers have placed him on IR in order to gain time to make a proper deal for him.
If the deal doesn’t come up, Puljujarvi can be sent to the minors or he spends the rest of the season in Hitch’s doghouse IF Hitch is even around. The latter being something I’ve been told he’d be willing to do if it means he stays in the NHL.
I don’t think that they were planning on trading him before the conversation between the Oilers and Puljujarvi’s agent was leaked to Rishaug. The agent has been in damage control mode since then and it’s not really surprising that the decision, in the end, is that the player/agent prefer to part ways with the Oilers.
As far as I know, Jesse would love nothing more than to stay in Edmonton and help the team. He loves the city and the people there but he’s still confident in his abilities. He knows in his heart that he doesn’t belong in the AHL and that if he’s given the opportunity, he can contribute positively to the top-6.
Wouldn’t you be pissed if you had two coaches in a row attempt to reformat the way you played? Both McLellan and Hitchcock have tried to turn him into a grinder when he’s a playmaker. Board play is not his bread and butter, it’s skating and playmaking. So it’s no wonder he looks like he’s lost sometimes. I mean if Darnell Nurse would actually give him the puck when he circles down deep into the zone, that would help. Instead, Nurse would rather look for the 150ft pass and risk an icing. Folks give Jesse a hard time for his hockey IQ and Nurse is doing stupid shit like that on a nightly basis.
WILDCARD THEORY: HE’S ACTUALLY HURT
I don’t know about this one. There’s always the possibility that he tweaked something taking shots during the warmup vs. the Islanders or he slipped on some ice in Edmonton. You never know.
Bottom line, Pulju’s value on the trade market is not high right now. It’s probably at it’s lowest and by unofficially asking out, that puts the team behind the 8-ball. I just reckon he should go to the AHL, play out the string, and then re-visit everything this summer when the new GM is in place and a new coach is in place. He might be surprised when he finds out that not everyone is as daft as the folks he’s been working with to date.
We’re going to find out which one of these theories plays out in 7-days or less folks. Stay tuned!
