Former 4th Overall Pick Has Career In Limbo

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Matt Garland
September 10, 2023 (11:47)

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Former 4th overall pick Jesse Puljuvarvi is currently recovering from having both of his hips operated on at the end of June in New York. He stayed in New York to rehabilitate himself before returning home to Oulu on July 24th,

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Puljujarvi has been known to have hip issues dating back to 2019. Last season was another tough one for the Finnish native. In 58 games with the Oilers he scored 5 goals and 14 points while averaging 12 minutes of ice time. Around the deadline he got his long rumored move to the Carolina Hurricanes where many hoped he could reignite his career being around so many Finish players on the team, sadly this wasn't the case. In the 17 regular season games that he played in after the trade to Carolina, he failed to score once while also posting just two assists. He also only appeared in seven postseason games, registering just a single assist.

This summer Carolina didn't make Puljujarvi a qualifying offer making him a free agent.

Rumors have Puljujarvi playing in different leagues in Europe instead of the NHL, but Puljujarvi remains focused on landing another NHL job:

" There have been no adjustments, Puljujärvi dismisses the rumors."

"The main goal is to get in top shape and get my legs in as good shape as possible. Your knowledge is what matters. It's up to you when you're ready to play."

"The NHL is definitely the main goal. I work towards that every day. The goal is in the NHL. Of course, you never know what will happen. It's good that there are many options."

I see a team taking a chance Puljujarvi with a PTO offer. The scoring touch might not be there but Puljujarvi has been known to have strong defensive play in his game which could be enough to give him one more opportunity at an NHL job.