The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a free-agent try-out. Puljujarvi was cleared for full-contact training on Saturday, opening up his availability to NHL teams. The 25-year-old winger underwent surgery on both of his hips this summer and worked his way back to NHL readiness in only six months.
Puljujarvi has had a storied career since being drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016-17 season and bounced between the team’s NHL and AHL lineup for the next two seasons. Rather than sticking with the jumps between North America’s top two leagues, Puljujarvi returned to Finland for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, combining for 65 points in 72 games over the two seasons. The strong performances overseas did boost Puljujarvi’s abilities in the NHL, with the winger recording a career-high 36 points in 65 games during the 2021-22 season, but his struggles have continued to pop up. He joined the Carolina Hurricanes via trade last season and only managed two points in 17 games with the new club. Pittsburgh will serve as another testing ground for the former Finnish standout.
Pittsburgh also shared that they’ve recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from his conditioning stint in the AHL. The 24-year-old defenseman played in two games while with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording one assist. Joseph has appeared in five games with the NHL lineup this season, also managing one assist – with his most recent game marking his 100th in the league.
Joseph emerged as a top option for Pittsburgh as a rookie during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 75 games with the club, scoring 21 points and recording 44 penalty minutes. He averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time each game, a mark that’s decreased to just 13 minutes this year as the Penguins added Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves, and Ryan Shea to the blueline. It’s a small step backward for Joseph, the second-youngest member of Pittsburgh’s defense corps behind 23-year-old John Ludvig. But with a pair of AHL games and the scare of a send-down under his belt, Joseph will now look to carve out a stronger role in the NHL.
So it’s come to this for the Pens? Ugh.
Worth a try at this point
IS HE???
@bapthemailman — I’m not sure whether it’s worth any try, ever. He was snapshot-scouted, overdrafted, and has a terrible hockey I.Q. There can’t be worse options in WBS.
Which NHL team do you work for?
Good to see the unimpressive Kyle Dubas has everything under control in Pittsburgh.
We will see the Leafs with their heads down slinking off the ice again in April as they are eliminated. Again. And of course you will blame Dubas.
The dude can’t play at the NHL level.
Signed,
A Hurricanes Fan
@mikedickinson — Co-signed by 31 other teams’ fans, too.
According to studies, 59 percent of people in the U.S. function at a sixth grade level of comprehension. Good to see 32 people who function at the level of a sixth grader can agree on something.
So it appears that you function at a significantly lower level than that 59% group.
Grow up.
I’m hip to the whole scene!
The Penguins, the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Jesse’s no Rick Kehoe…
The way things are going in Pittsburgh, The players will be on the golf course by easter.
Love it.
Not sure why anyone would ever badmouth a try out deal. No risk, possible reward.
Can he play in this league? Doesn’t seem like it but…
We need players who can shoot the puck. We have an entire team that tries to pass the puck into the net…as if tic-tac-toe tap ins are the only goals that are allowed.
If his last chance flicks the light bulb, cool. If not, au revoir.
Agreed. Puljujarvi is wildly inconsistent, but let’s be real: Pittsburgh has only five forwards producing at any better than a 4th line level (and several of them not doing that well). They get the 20-22 Puljujarvi, the yinzers will be gasping in delight. I mean, it’s either that or do what they should’ve done two years ago, and begin the teardown and rebuild. What the hell else are their options?
The plan remains the same…
link to youtube.com
I heard the Penguins are the opening act on the Rolling Stones AARP tour.
Big player = longer time to figure out the game. Admittedly he’s looked pretty awful in the NHL but I’m not entirely ready to rule him out as an NHLer. Once he hits 400 games (which is the breakout threshold for big/small players) we will see if he has or hasn’t figured the game out. He clearly has talent but can’t seem to translate it to the NHL. I don’t think he’s holding his tongue right….