Earlier this offseason, Jesse Puljujarvi avoided arbitration when he signed a one-year deal worth $3 million with the Edmonton Oilers. It didn’t take long for his new contract to land him back on the trade block as several insiders stated that the deal could make him easier to trade.
Puljujarvi has heard his name in trade chatter for several seasons now, however, insider Frank Seravalli for Daily Face-Off isn’t sure if teams are going to get a lot out of a player at a $3 million price tag this season.
“I don’t think it’s any secret at this point that the Oilers attempted to move on from him this summer. They changed their ask as well, they were at first looking for a player back, then they were looking for a pick back, and I think that sort of slid to this point. And with Puljujarvi on a one-year deal at $3 million, I don’t know that teams are out there looking at it saying,
“We’re going to get a lot of value out of this player for $3 million”. Maybe on his previous contract, it might have been different, and I think at this point, there hasn’t been enough of a market to develop to make the Oilers want to pull the trigger.
“But they’ve got some significant decisions to make on their own roster front as we get close to setting the rosters next Monday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The Oilers are probably going to have to put a player or two on waivers in order to be cap compliant, and you need everyone pulling your weight, including Puljujarvi at $3 million.”
This is a bad time for the market on Puljujarvi going quiet: time is running out on training camp and the Oilers need to make the right roster decisions.
With the market for the young forward now going dry, did the Oilers miss out on their chances to move Puljujarvi earlier this summer?
