Edmonton Oilers social media went crazy yesterday with the news that Jesse Puljujarvi is healthy scratched. Many people think he will be traded or waived once the Oilers become healthy. The Edmonton Oilers will need to find some cap room and Puljujarvi is a strong candidate to be moved.
Jesse Puljujarvi will be a healthy scratch for the #Oilers tonight
— Tyler Yaremchuk (@tyleryaremchuk) January 17, 2023
The weird thing about this is how many people seem to care about Jesse Puljujarvi being scratched versus other Edmonton Oilers. Last week when Warren Foegele was a health scratch Oilers Twitter didn’t blow up. So why did this happen with Jesse Puljujarvi?
Jesse Puljujarvi Is A Likeable Person
From the day Puljujarvi was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers fans have started to connect with him. He was slotted to be drafted 3rd overall, but then the Blue Jackets selected Pierre-Luc Dubois and the Oilers selected Puljujarvi 4th.
Since then it has been a rollercoaster for Puljujarvi’s NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers. From playing on the top line when he wasn’t ready at 18 to being healthy scratched last night. He is a player fans keep a close eye on.
The Bison King gained the hearts of Edmonton with his antics. His pictures of him and his dog with a Buffalo and playing at an outdoor rink with kids have really connected him to the community. This is why people care about what happens to him compared to other payers.
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What Can The Edmonton Oilers Get Back In A Trade?
Right now the Edmonton Oilers are within the salary cap, but what happens when Kailer Yamamoto comes off of LTIR. The Edmonton Oilers are going to have to find the space for him. The cap hit makes it so that it will likely be either Puljujarvi, Foegele or Ryan that gets removed.
For Puljujarvi it is no secret that the Oilers have been looking at moving him since this past offseason. There is obviously a lack of interest from other teams to pay the price Holland wants in return as Puljujarvi is still on this team.
This could mean that when the time comes Holland may have to take what he can get. The way I see it Puljuarvi’s value is only going to be getting lower and lower the closer Yamamoto gets to coming off the LTIR and it’s not high right now.
At this point, I would expect that there is no way Holland is going to get anything better than a third-round draft pick for Puljujarvi. There is the option that Jesse Puljujarvi is a throw in a bigger deal in order to get the cap in the trade to work.
That would be the best for the Edmonton Oilers, at least they will be getting something good in return and they will be using Puljuajrvi as a way to improve the current team. If you are only getting a draft pick that pick isn’t helping the Edmonton Oilers this year.
Lose Him For Nothing
Another way for this scenario to work out is Ken Holland putting the player on waivers. If the choice is again between the three players listed above there is a pretty good chance that they get claimed.
I think the order from most likely to be picked up to least likely goes as followed. Puljujarvi, Foegele then Ryan. Puljujarvi might be in a slump right now but he is still young. The other two are older and have lower potential. This is why I think Ken Holland may send Ryan on waivers. He doesn’t clear as much cap, but at least he doesn’t lose a player.