Oilers: Jesse Puljujarvi Could Be in Store for a Major Breakout in 2021-22

Aside from the brilliant play of Mike Smith between the pipes last season, the most pleasant surprise on the Edmonton Oilers roster was Jesse Puljujarvi.

There weren’t much if any expectations placed on Puljujarvi given how his first stint with the Edmonton Oilers went, and his future with the organization still appeared murky after choosing to spend the 2019-20 season in Finland.

It became evident very early into the 2020-21 campaign that Puljujarvi was a much-improved player from the one Oilers fans had seen in years past. Despite being quite snake bitten through the first month of the season with just two assists in 11 games, he was getting quality chances and was able to produce better offensive results from February through May.

By the time the season had wrapped up, the happy-go-lucky winger finished with 15 goals and 25 points in 55 games. While those numbers won’t blow him away, it translates to a 22-goal year over a full 82 game season, which Oilers fans certainly would have been pleased with from Puljuarvi given where things were just a few short seasons ago.

With the major improvement he showed this past season, there is no reason to doubt he can continue to get better moving forward. All signs point to him starting the season on Connor McDavid’s wing once again, and he will likely not have to worry about a revolving door on the left wing side this year, as free agent acquisition Zach Hyman is expected to man that position. Having a player like Hyman who can go to the dirty areas to retrieve pucks should help not only McDavid but Puljujarvi as well.

One very impressive thing from that Puljujarvi’s 2020-21 season was that nearly all of his production came at even strength, as just two of his goals and four points came on the man advantage. That is because he was not often used on the power play last season, as head coach Dave Tippett preferred both Alex Chiasson and James Neal on the top unit.

With the departures of both Neal and Chiasson, Puljujarvi should get plenty more reps on the power play this season, which could help skyrocket his production. The Oilers have had the most dangerous power play in the league for two straight seasons now, and there is no reason to expect that to change. If Puljujarvi is able to get consistent time on the top unit, he should have no problem smashing his career highs in 2021-22.

The Oilers improved forward group as well as a potential opening on the power play means that Puljujarvi could be in a store for a major breakout season. Despite others around the league not yet realizing how much better of a player he has come, it wouldn’t surprise many Oilers fans to see him score roughly 25 goals and be north of 40 points next season. His $1.18 cap hit has a chance to be a major bargain in 2021-22.