The Penguins signed UFA winger Jesse Puljujärvi to a two-year contract on Sunday, per a team release. The 2016 fourth-overall pick will earn $800K per season through the end of 2024-25.
Per PuckPedia, Puljujärvi will earn the league minimum $775K salary this season before seeing a $50K pay bump in 2024-25. He will be an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career when the deal expires.
Puljujärvi, 25, had four goals and nine points in 13 games on a PTO with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after returning from a double hip surgery he had received during the offseason. He began training with the Penguins in early December, signing a PTO at the NHL level to do so.
The Finnish winger looked like a long-term fixture in the Oilers’ top six as recently as two years ago. A long and winding development path led him to a career-best 2021-22 campaign in which his 36 points and +22 rating in 65 games, oftentimes playing alongside Connor McDavid, earned him a spattering of Selke Trophy votes. Their line with Zach Hyman was arguably the best in the league that season at generating offense, producing 4.18 expected goals per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck.
However, Puljujärvi regressed significantly in 2022-23. After posting five goals and 14 points (along with a -11 rating) in just 12:15 of average ice time compared to the prior season’s 16:14, the Oilers cut bait with their former top prospect and traded him to the Hurricanes for the signing rights to forward prospect Patrik Puistola. His possession impacts rebounded down the stretch with Carolina, but the point production did not – he went without a goal in 24 regular-season and playoff games and added only three assists. As such, the Hurricanes opted not to issue Puljujärvi a qualifying offer and let him become a UFA last July.
Last summer’s surgery suggests his skating and overall play were hampered by a lingering hip issue in 2022-23, and the Penguins are banking on his ability to keep driving possession in a limited role out of the gate. There is a fair amount of upward mobility for Puljujärvi in Pittsburgh if his play warrants it – underwhelming seasons from Rickard Rakell and Reilly Smith have created multiple openings in the team’s middle six. He may be best used in a bottom-six role to start, however, as poor defensive play from veterans like Noel Acciari and Matthew Nieto has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Puljujärvi could provide an upgrade there and boost the team’s goal differential, even if he’s not providing a truckload of offense himself.
You can’t make this up! Dubas is a genius! Why did the Leafs ever let this guy go?
Bust!
Okay, but why?
Sounds like Jake is getting traded
Only if he’s lucky.
League minimum or so for a former #4 overall pick who can be waived or demoted at any time.
No downside and some potential for upside.
Pustinen (missing a letter in there somewhere) will never be the player Puljujarvi could be. Now, maybe Puljujarvi is never the player Puljujarvi COULD be either, but he at least could be.
Give it a shot.
Stop with the old and tired narrative that makes GMs try and look smart! Dubas is a power hungry moron, The Penguins are the oldest team in the league, And it’s rebuild time in Puttsburgh!
“Stop with the old and tired narrative that tries to make GM’s look smart! Dubas is a power hungry moron, the Penguins are the oldest team in the league, and it’s rebuild time in Puttsburgh! (sic)”
Is Karlsson keeping them from resigning Jake?
I’d say resigning Malkin more than acquiring Karlsson will prevent them from resigning Jake. You can’t keep everyone together nor should you if you aren’t challenging first r championships.
No. I think It’s Dubas’s poor decision making.
They were both bad signings, The rebuild is past due and Dubas is bad at hockey.
Taking back Malkin was dead money. Taking Karlsson got rid of Granlund and Petry. I believe theirs hope for Karlsson to adjust and perform.
No. They have plenty of cap room for both. It’s not about money, it’s about whether or not Guentzel wants to re-sign. The Pens are actually in good shape cap wise.
This just isn’t true. The Pens have plenty of cap room moving forward. What teams spend is public data, so you can’t just claim something like this and think nobody will fact check you.
The only way Guentzel doesn’t re-sign is if he doesn’t want to, it will have nothing to do with money.
Alright, which one of you guys didn’t give Kyle the breathalyzer test? JP’s proven that he doesn’t have a very high hockey IQ, and sketchy spatial awareness (doesn’t know where to be on the ice). He really isn’t a bargain at any price, in my book.
Jesse is exhibit A of where the eye test doesn’t match the fancy stats. All of your points are valid but Kyle is likely seduced by the pretty numbers. He’s actually a reasonable defender. I suppose someone believes he’ll reinvent himself. He’s had two double-hip surgeries and missed a lot of hockey, so it’s a long shot.
@Mac – “But he was a high draft pick way back when”, lol!
Maybe Nail Yakupov can be brought in on the cheap too!
The numbers say he was a solid two way forward prior to the injuries. He just struggles to finish. But, as recent as two years ago he was a good defensive forward that added playmaking ability and speed.
This literally has zero risk. The Pens had him in on a PTO to see what he had after the two new hips. After four shaky games dusting the rust off he’s been excellent in the AHL (over a ppg and he can still really skate). Does that translate to the NHL? No clue, but it’s worth a shot for league minimum.
@Gbear — Edmonton was so determined to make him work and avoid the embarrassment that yet another high pick was a bust. The problem is that it happens to every team in the league. It should serve as an annual reminder to the entirety of the NHL, “Do a better job scouting!” From what I heard out of EDM, Yakupov didn’t get the psych test or enough interviews. Every team needs to come to grips that some players need to be deemed a no-go, when appropriate. This is in contrast with the Nashville Cats, who inexplicably gave up on Tolvanen. Nashville’s loss is now Seattle’s gain.
@Buctober 2 — If Puljujarvi plows over one of his own guys, like Sid, Geno, Jake, Tanger, EK65, etc., it might change your opinion. At 6’4”, 201lbs, he’s big enough to do damage. When he was in Carolina, he ran into a linesman, who, apparently, was expecting it and defended himself. It was against the Leafs, and Bonesy was surprised, as well. “Oooh, great hit by the linesman, there!”, with Ralphie adding, “Oh, they’re gonna go!”
What are you even talking about? You think he’s going to take a run at one of his teammates? lmao
I don’t care what he did in Carolina, he was trying to play with two bad hips. I’m talking about how he played with Edmonton in ’21-’22. He was a solid two way forward that played with great speed and has great size. He looked good in the AHL on his PTO with his new hips. I’m happy for him that he’s recovered. Excited to see what he can do.
@Buctober 2 — No, that’s not it at all. He would run into his own guys, not take a run at them. Two different things. He did this in Edmonton, repeatedly. That’s bad spatial awareness. It’s similar to the time Eric Lindros inadvertently circled back into his own teammate, Paul Coffey, and knocked him out cold. He is capable of doing it, but not guaranteed to do it.
Lmao put that into the category of things I’m nor worried about. I think everyone will be fine with a good hockey player and great skater being on the ice with them.
@Mac – The Tolvanen decision alone should’ve been the end of Poile’s career. Not a single one of the Preds young forwards is so far near what Tolvy can do. Maybe Poile would put them on waivers too. :/
@Gbear — He probably would’ve done it to make a bogus “teaching moment.” Now teaching in SEA, Eeli Tolvanen. In 135 games for NSH, he posted 25G+26A, with a -17. In 98 games with SEA, 29G+28A and a +7 (albeit a -3 this year). At the rate he’s going, barring the “i” word, we’ll likely see good things from him. Between Hynes and Poile, they might be lucky to still see attendance greater than 11K, or so. Now, let’s see if GMBT & Bruno can get them back in the W column more often.
@Buctober 2 —Mac hit it on the head with “sketchy spatial awareness” – he does have tantalizing physical skills but… I’m reminded of the Star Trek meme with the robot’s late reaction to a thrown ball.
He’s a likable guy and I hope he finds his niche. He got some unnecessary grief for rehabbing in Finland after his first surgery – people claimed he quit on the Oilers. (Double hip surgery is not easy.)
OTH, reports out of Finland were that he was just doing swoopy circles and the NHL is a stop-and-go league.
A polarizing player, for sure.
Johnny Gaudreau sent Yegor Chinakhov flying at the blue line a few games ago. I thought Gaudreau extended the knee a bit but no call from Parros. Probably because they play on the same team.
The Oilers were looking for the most NHL ready prospect in a thin draft. They didn’t have the patience for draft and develop and there were were plenty of spots for a 19-year-old to make the team.
Supposedly, there was a split in the Oiler offices- some wanted Ryan Murray but he was, wait for it, injured.
It was a strange draft – Montreal & NYI were happy to get Alex Galchenyuk and Griffin Reinhart at 3 & 4.
And Tampa had two picks at 10 & 19 – and it was down to Slater Koekkoek and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Of course, they took Koekkoek with the higher pick.
Calgary was relieved that TBL took Vasilevskiy – it gave them a shot at Mark Jankowski.
Sometimes drafting is not an exact science.
@Jess the trip — Your reference to the Star Trek meme, which I may not have seen (no explanation, no alibi), made me think of the possible inspiration for that in a Twilight Zone episode titled, “The Mighty Casey”. And, the “swoopy circles” is what causes Puljujarvi to be out of position, so good description there.
Well whatever you two are going on about that he supposedly did with the Oilers, he hasn’t done it in the AHL with the Pens organization on any video that I’ve seen. He’s been playing north/south hockey and creating havoc in front of the net.
He’s not on the team for scoring, he’s on the team to be a bottom 6, defense first winger that plays a fast and physical game that gets under the opponents skin. That’s exactly how he was playing in the AHL during his PTO that lead to this contract.
This is probably a non factor move, but it’s also no risk at this point. If he sucks they can waive him and bury
Good signing. A lot of talent/skill for basically league minimum salary.
He looked good in the AHL with his new hips. After a few games to shake off the rust he was performing at over a ppg and his speed was noticeable. If it doesn’t work out they can just send him down. If the new hips even allow him to be the player he was two years ago then he’ll be a welcomed addition.
I’d like to see Poulin get his first real shot next. He’s on a heater right now in the AHL.
Nobody is stopping them from signing Jake other than Jake. They offered him 6 years at around 8.5 per and he rejected it.
I’m so laughing at my opponent in my fantasy hockey league who dropped Byfield and picked up Puljujärvi.