After such a great hockey game it’s unfortunate that the topic of the day today on Oilers talk radio was Jesse Puljujarvi, again…
We had Stauffer talking about it, Gregor, Lowetide spoke to it, Ray Ferraro and Craig Simpson all chimed in as well with their own individual takes that ranged from get him down with Strome and Lucic and leave him there to he needs to be sent to the AHL to regain his confidence.
Stauffer said on his show this morning that he thought Jess would be on the 3rd line tomorrow but as I listened to him I got wondering if the Oilers would healthy scratch Pulju vs. the Capitals. I mean it used to happen to young players all of the time back in the day so I certainly wouldn’t have a huge issue with it if it did happen but yeah, we’ll have to wait until someone tweets out the line combos tomorrow.
On to the game…
Last night I found Jesse playing quite well earlier in the game. He was opening lanes for his linemates with his big frame and was he not a direct contributor to Leon’s goal in the 2nd period?
On the other hand, there were instances where the Oilers were trying to transition through the neutral zone and Jesse simply got too close to the puck carrier and instead of breaking off or driving the net, he stopped moving his feet and just say there as if his controller was disconnected. There were some giveaways and there was a couple of moments where he was on the wrong side of the puck or reaching in to check instead of getting his body in there.
All of those things can be ironed out. All of them.
It’s almost unfortunate for Pulju that Chiasson was playing as well as he was and good for the PTO signing but that’s the name of the game. The Oilers want to win and so there are certain players who are easier to move up and down the lineup when another player is having himself a good night.
Let’s hope we never see Jesse Puljujarvi on the 4th line again…
I’ll be completely honest, I’d love to see Jesse play alongside Connor or Leon and make the most of his opportunities. I’d love to see him given enough rope by the head coach so that he doesn’t feel like he’s walking on eggshells when he plays and he has the confidence to play his game. Something we got a taste of in the pre-season.
Speaking of lines, I think it was Jason Gregor, or maybe Stauffer, forgive my memory, who was talking about how the Penguins have usually lined up the no-namers (Talbot, Rust, Guentzel, Kunitz) with Crosby and the better players with Malkin (Kessel). So why not do that with McDavid and Leon?
Why not throw Yamamoto and say, Reider up with Connor because he can basically handle the line on his own (more or less) and have Nuge, Leon, and Puljujarvi play together. Jesse has had good success with both RNH and Draisaitl in the past plus he could focus on being the trigger man or the disruptor on that line.
I dunno, just food for thought.
But all of that being said, I’d rather see how Pulju played in preseason for the next ten years than the next ten games and if that means Jesse might have to go to the AHL, where they’ve got some actual skilled players in Hebig, Benson, and potentially Marody, then I support that.
I know it’d be embarrassing for the team and for Jesse a bit but it is what it is and the NHL is not a developmental league, the AHL is. Jess would be the focal point and a key player on that roster AND he’d be surrounded by players his own age… Which I think would help him immensely.
The last thing I want to see is the Oilers organization give up on him by trading him and a couple of names were brought up on Oilers Now today through Bob Stauffer.
- Anthony Mantha (DET)
- Julius Honka (DAL)
I believe Stauffer said he’d only deal Pulju if there was a very good wing prospect coming back. Hence why he brought up Anthony Mantha, a player who was a scoring machine in the QMJHL but has yet to really find his way at the NHL level. Although Mantha did have a bit of a breakout season last year with 24 goals and 24 assists in 80 games.
This year he’s score 3pts and is -12 in 9 games. Not great.
Man, how good is Jack Hughes going to look in Detroit? Steve Yzerman 2.0?
As for Honka, I’d go as far as saying the Oilers already have two right-handed dmen who are as good as him in Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard. I can’t see how adding Julius Honka would improve the Oilers right now or down the road if I’m being frank.
I’ve heard Montreal likes Jesse but I’m not too sure if there’s a trade there for either team given what the Habs have to offer and Edmonton’s cap situation.
I asked my sources what they know and was told that the Oilers are still on the hunt for a right-shot D but are biding their time for the right offer and that they are prepared to be patient with Jesse.
So you can take that for what it’s worth but what’s not working in Puljujarvi’s favor, I reckon, is that the Oilers need to win now, the coaches know that, the GM knows that, and everyone is on the hot seat right now. Also, the Oilers are starting to develop some depth in the minors which could put Jesse’s spot on the roster in jeopardy if he can’t find his footing at this level.
Should Puljujarvi just say “f*ck it!” and go out and play the game he knows how to play. I feel like he’s trying to please the coaches but then there’s the fact that the Oilers are playing some bloody difficult opponents too.
The Puljujarvi debate is such a clusterf*ck. It really is. There are so many questions that I have about the player and about how the staff is coaching him. I want to see him succeed so badly and even I thought he’d be rounding into form here but it’s taking a little longer than expected which is fine too. We’ll just have to go through the motions with Pulju.
Can you think of a player who took a bit longer than you thought to break out but was better for it? Let us know in the comments below!
Here’s to hoping that our big Finnish Bullwinkle breaks out this month!
