The Edmonton Oilers are nearing the NHL trade deadline and will be looking to make a trade for a meaningful player. With the Oilers being right to the cap, they will have to send a player the other way. Most people have Jesse Puljujarvi as that player. Here are a couple of reasons why it shouldn’t be Puljujarvi.
Is Likely Already Not Going To Be With The Edmonton Oilers Next Year Already
Jesse Puljujarvi has a cap hit of $3 million right now, but it is going to expire after this season. The Edmonton Oilers aren’t going to qualify him and he will become a free agent. This will open up $3 million in the cap next season already.
That is a reason to move another player over Puljujarvi. If the Edmonton Oilers were to move either Yamamoto or Foegele they would lose their contacts for next season as well. If you move Puljuarvi you gain nothing next season cap-wise, but if you move Warren Foegele to Kailer Yamamoto you save the cap space for next season as well. That would be $3.1 million for Yamamoto and $2.75 million for Foegele.
His Value Couldn’t Be Any Lower
Jesse Puljujarvi is having what could be his worst season so far in his career. He has been in and out of the lineup and when he is in the lineup his time on ice is near the bottom of the team ranking.
If the Edmonton Oilers were to trade him away now they would almost have to add something to the trade for a team to take him. Puljujarvi has some good size and has a good ability to cause some chaos in the offensive zone, but this season he hasn’t put up much in the stats department.
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I have a feeling that on the afternoon of March 3, Jesse Puljujarvi will not be on the Edmonton Oilers roster. This has nothing to do with the person himself as I am pretty sure that every Oiler fan loves the Bison King and his attitude, but his cap hit and play as of late has made it so he doesn’t have a spot on this team.