The Edmonton Oilers have been reportedly attempting to trade Jesse Puljujarvi for several weeks. So far, however, they haven’t found a club willing to take the 24-year-old right wing off their hands.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Monday that the Oilers were originally seeking a player in return and then sought a draft pick for Puljujarvi, who was chosen fourth-overall in the 2016 draft. Seravalli doubted there are many teams that believe they can get good value for a player under a one-year, $3-million contract.
Cap Friendly indicates the Oilers sit above the $82.5-million salary cap by over $7.5 million. They’ll garner $6.36 million in cap relief by placing Oscar Klefbom and Mike Smith on long-term injury reserve. However, they’ll have to shed some salary via trade or waivers to become cap compliant when the regular season opens next week.
The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman said he believes it’s not a good idea to peddle Puljujarvi while his trade value is low. However, he thinks the winger will be moved sooner or later given the emergence of promising Dylan Holloway.
During the off-season dog days, some pundits suggested that the Oilers use Puljujarvi as part of a package offer to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Kane. That talk, however, is just wishful thinking.
Finding a trade partner for Puljujarvi will be difficult. There are 20 NHL teams lacking sufficient cap space to absorb his cap hit. Those that have room are rebuilding clubs such as the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators with no immediate need for his services.
